Comments | angevin2: random Ricardiana

angevin2

random Ricardiana

Sep 17, 2005 12:40

From the diary of Simon Forman, Jacobethan man-about-town and general whackjob, an account of a now-lost play.

( In Richard the 2 at the Glob 1611 the 30 of Aprill Tuesday )

dissertation, renaissance drama, richard ii

Comments 11

erstwhiletexan September 17 2005, 11:00:54 UTC

Remember therin Also howe the ducke of Lankaster pryuily contryed all villany...

That is some classic stuff, that is. :D

angevin2 September 17 2005, 12:59:56 UTC

Willfully refusing to acknowledge that "ducke" in this case (and throughout Gower's Confessio Amantis) is merely an alternate spelling of "duke" has not yet gotten old. ;)

erstwhiletexan September 17 2005, 13:26:12 UTC

... okay, I've been reading Gower recently and I had not even noticed that. Shows how observant I am. :D

Also, would it be wrong to call John of Gaunt "ducky"?

angevin2 September 17 2005, 14:30:25 UTC

Rah for Gower! Are you reading the Confessio Amantis? How much of it have you read? I've only read the first book. Will be reading more of it later in the semester, and would rather like to finish it when I have more time. The duck thing is in the tale of Mundus and Paulina, or at least it is in the edition I've got (the TEAMS text). I'm terribly amused that the editors annotate it every time it appears, lest we get silly mental images involving ducks. (Their efforts, of course, are all for naught.)

And yes. It would be very wrong. Which is all the more reason to do it. ;)

Thread 5

cataptromancer September 17 2005, 11:30:45 UTC

I think the evil gaunt thing has some precedents during the fourteenth century. The westminster chronicle, probably written pretty close to the events, describes allegations against Gaunt. (westminster chronicle 68-81). According to the westminster chronicler, in 1384 a friar "prompted by some idiotic impulse, came to court with the object of accusing the duke of Lancaster himself of a crafty and treasonable plot against the king's life..."

angevin2 September 17 2005, 13:02:39 UTC

Yeah, I know. It's odd to see it in Renaissance drama in comparison to Shakespeare's (and Woodstock's) version of him, though.

On the other hand, Samuel Daniel's Civil Wars calls him "a subject grown too great for such a state"...

(The comment has been removed)

angevin2 September 17 2005, 13:03:23 UTC

Yes they are. :D

Though Aemilia Lanyer would beg to differ, no doubt.

stratfordbabe September 17 2005, 11:41:38 UTC

Oh, very cool stuff. It is sad hos much we've lost, isn't it.

I"m getting better at reading these original texts, but I couldn't figure out what "pryuily contryed" is (I mean, I could figure out the general meaning, but couldn't figure out the exact words. I would greatly appreciate a translation.

Thanks!

bookslibretti September 17 2005, 12:29:18 UTC

Just a guess -- "privily contrived"?

angevin2 September 17 2005, 13:03:49 UTC

Got it in one. :)