Theatre Thursday: A-List Elizabethan Actor Edward Alleyn

A 17th century portrait of actor Edward Alleyn in old age. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

One of the most popular stage actors of the Elizabethan era, and for a short time, the Stuart era, was Edward Alleyn (1566-1626). In addition to the praise he earned as a tragedian actor who defined and popularized the roles of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine and Dr. Faustus, as well as Thomas Kyd's Hieronimo, Alleyn was also a business man. After great success as an actor, Alleyn became a shareholder in several successful London theatre's in his final years.

The frontispiece from Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy. Alleyn's performance of Hieronimo in The Spanish Tragedy  made the character an iconic one. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Born and raised in London, Alleyn had absorbed the bustling, dramatic world of 16th century London since youth. Unsurprisingly he was magnetically drawn to the stage. Alleyn first took to the stage in the 1580's, and going professional as part of the company Worcester's Men in 1583. By 1589 he was part of the prestigious Admiral's Men. Alleyn was the lead actor of the Admiral's Men in their many productions at the Rose Theatre.

A detail from a portrait of Queen Elizabeth's maternal cousin and a hero of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Lord High Admiral Charles Howard. Alleyn was a part of Howard's successful theatre company the Admiral's Men. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

By 1592, Alleyn was co-running the Rose, as well as several bear garden's (see Mabeth, Merry Wives, and the Business of Bear-baiting for information on Elizabethan bear-baiting and Alleyn's involvement in the business). By 1597 he had retired, but in 1600 he returned to the stage per the request of Queen Elizabeth I who admired and missed his talent. He performed in the New Fortune Theatre that he and his longtime business partner Philip Henslowe had built. Alleyn had married Henslowe's stepdaughter Joan Woodward in 1592.

A portrait of Joan Alleyn from 1596. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Primary documents tell us that Alleyn and his wife were very close; whether they had fallen in love before they married or after is irrelevant. When plague broke out in London in the spring of 1593, Alleyn and his fellow actors were forced to tour the countryside for work (Mabillard). When he was working in Chelmsford, he wrote home to his wife the following letter:

My good sweetheart and loving mouse, I send thee a thousand commendations, wishing thee as well as may be, and hoping thou art in good health, which I pray God to continue with us in the country, and with you in London. But mouse, I little thought to hear that which I now hear by you, for it is well known they say that you were by my Lord Mayor's officer made to ride in a cart, you and all your fellows, which I am sorry to know; but you may thank your two supporters, your strong legs I mean, that would not carry you away, but let you fall into the hands of such termagants. But mouse, when I come home I'll be revenged on them; till when, I prithee send me word how thou dost, and do my hearty commendations to my father, mother, and sister, and to thy own self; and so, sweetheart, the Lord bless thee. From Chelmsford, the 2nd May, 1593. Thine ever and nobody else's, by God of Heaven - Edward.

 We can deduce from the letter that Joan was somehow involved with "the fellows" -- those "Admiral's Men who remained in London and had infringed the order prohibiting playing" (Hosking, 50). Though Joan could never have legally acted on stage, she appears to have occasionally traveled with the group and perhaps assisted with their business.

By the time of Joan's death in 1623 the couple had had no children. Since the couple's marriage was by all accounts a happy one, and since Alleyn and his second, much younger wife would also have no children, it is possible Alleyn and his wives suffered from fertility issues.

Interestingly, Alleyn would take for his second wife one of the daughter's of celebrated poet John Donne, who was then Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Constance Donne was an old acquaintance of Alleyn, and they also seem to have fallen in love rather quickly, since they married within months of Joan's death. Edward was 58, Constance was 20 (Mabillard).

A map c.1560 of the bear and bull-baiting rings along the Thames in Elizabethan London. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Alleyn retired again, this time in 1604 after taking part in the coronation procession of James I of England. Alleyn may have left the theatre, but as is the case with many great actors, the theatre never left him; Alleyn became a generous patron of the English theatre scene in London until 1626 when he died. Alleyn may not have left behind any children, but he did leave behind a theatrical legacy that endures to this day.

Sources:

"Alleyn, Edward." The Historical Dictionary of the Elizabethan World. Print. (By John A. Wagner.)

Mabillard, Amanda. The Life of Shakespearean Actor Edward Alleyn Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2001. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/edwardalleyn.html >.
 
Hosking, G. L. The Life and Times of Edward Alleyn. London: Jonathan Cape, 1952.

Theatre Thursday: Macbeth, Merry Wives, and the Business of Bear-baiting

"They have me tied to the stake; I cannot fly, but bearlike I must stay and fight the course."-Macbeth

A page of Macbeth from Shakespeare's First Folio, 1625. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

This line from Shakespeare's Scottish tragedy Macbeth captures the dreadful feeling of one's futile resistance against a vicious attack. All of us can probably relate to this feeling, having experienced it at one point of our lives or another. The phrase "They have tied me to the stake" and "bearlike" allude to the popular Elizabethan entertainment of bear-baiting. 

Bear-beating was a spectator sport that was also considered a theatrical affair. This "sport" was one in which a poor bear was chained to a stake in the center of an arena; then, a pack of dogs was unleashed to attack the bear. Spectators had placed bets before the match on the eventual outcome: would the dogs tear the bear to shreds, or would the bear, though tethered, be victorious? Shakespeare not only referenced the sport in Macbeth, but also covered it in The Merry Wives of Windsor. In Windsor, the bear Sackerson is inspired by some of the actual bears that lived long enough to develop a fan-following all their own..

By modern standards, the entertainment of bear-baiting or it's other variant, bull-baiting, is repulsive. Anyone caught facilitating or attending a sport of this nature today (like modern dog-fighting rings) would be arrested and prosecuted for animal cruelty and illegal gambling. But in the seedy areas of Elizabethan London (and the not so seedy areas, mind you) this was just par for the course. Bear-baiting is one of the more problematic realities of Elizabethan history that I have had to come to terms with. I have been raised by my mother to defend those who cannot speak for themselves, be it animals or children. And however hard it may be for me to do so, I know that to be a good historian I must judge historical figures and cultures by the standards of their own time, not my own, in order to make an fair assessment. The Roman's had their Gladiator games, and the Elizabethan's had their bear-baiting.

An illustration of a bear garden and bull-baiting ring on the banks of the Thames in London, c. 1560. From Agas's Map of London. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Queen Elizabeth herself is documented as having enjoyed the entertainment of bear-baiting on several occasions during her progresses, despite being particularly wary of any form of bloodshed in the political and military sectors of her world. Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester organized a bear-baiting, among many other over-the-top entertainments for Elizabeth when she visited him at his Kenilworth Castle in 1575. Coincidentally the Earl's crest was a bear and ragged staff, or a bear chained to a staff. 

A bear and ragged staff statue at Kenilworth Castle. The display is part of the recreated Elizabethan Gardens that Leicester assembled for Queen Elizabeth as a grand gesture for her visit to Kenilworth in 1575. Most historians agree that this was Leicester's last attempt to persuade Elizabeth I to marry him. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons courtesy Richard Croft. Image public domain.

There was no shame in participating in bear-baiting, and reputable figures in 16th and 17th century England owned and operated "bear gardens", the venue's in which the sport was held. Edward "Ned" Alleyn, who was one of the two most successful Elizabethan actors (along with Richard Burbage) went on to run a bear garden after his retirement from the stage. In the 17th century, he personally facilitated a bear-baiting for King James I.

A 17th century portrait of Edward Alleyn in old age. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

Bear-baiting is tragically still in practice in many parts of the world today, from Pakistan to South Carolina in the United States. I find it necessary to include links (see below) that will provide you with more information on the sport, and how you can help to stop it. Be mindful that some of the images and video footage may be disturbing to younger readers.

From The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA):

http://www.wspa-international.org/wspaswork/bears/bearbaiting/

From The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS:

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/08/bear_baiting_082310.html

From The Alaska Wildlife Alliance:

http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/192