I. 2. SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION. As it can be shown that Faire Em is by Shakspere, The London Prodigal must also be ascribed to him (see Suggestion 1. p. 97). The plot of The London Prodigal tells the story of a rivalship between Greene, Marlowe, and Peele for the office of poet to the Queen's servants. 3. The fact that Shakspere acted in The London Prodigal, and in other plays, was enough to excite the indignation of Nash and Greene at this degradation of an author's position. Richard Simpson's researches (The School of Shakspere, Vol. II.) led him to think that The London Prodigal was acted before 1592. If so, the existing play is probably a revised form. This play was not entered in the Stationers' Registers. 151 45335 49 42 208 135 227 179 90 53 437 70 141 35 434 64 151 42 330 49 42 208 127 227 176 90 49 433 69 141 35 418 : : : : 169 MARIA : 321 OLIVIA : : I. SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION. As Twelfth Night is Shakspere's last play dominated by the genial spirit of Comedy, the date of its production is that of a change in his circumstances altering his view of life. 2. Shakspere in Twelfth Night made his grand attack on the Puritan party. 3. In Twelfth Night, Shakspere satirised Marston as Malvolio and Ben Jonson as Sir Toby Belch. THE EARLIEST KNOWN EDITION IS THE 1623 FOLIO. Under the date of February 2, 1602, John Manningham, a barrister of the Middle Temple, entered in his Diary, now amongst the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum, "At our feast wee had a play called Twelue Night, or What you Will,' much like the Commedy of Errores, or Menechmi in Plautus, but most like and neere to that in Italian called Inganni. A good practise in it to make the Steward beleeve his Lady widdowe was in love with him, by counterfeyting a letter as from his Lady in generall termes, telling him what shee liked best in him, and prescribing his gesture in smiling, his apparaile, &c., and then when he came to practise making him beleeue they tooke him to be mad." (Camden Society edition of the Diary, p. 18.) Cunningham (Op. cit. p. xlv.) gives this entry from the Office Books of the Treasurers of the Chamber: "To John Heminges &c upon a warrant dated 20 April 1618 for presenting two severall Playes before his Maty, on Easter Monday Twelfte night the play soe called and on Easter Tuesday the Winter's Tale xxli." (see p. 71). The first mention of this play in the Stationers' Registers is in the entry of the First Folio. Commentators have written learnedly about the differences between the comedy named by Manningham and another Italian play, Ingannati, to which it is said Twelfth Night bears a yet closer resemblance. It may safely be concluded that Shakspere knew nothing about either of them. He was quite as capable as either of their authors of inventing the incidents of the story; or, at all events, he was equal to developing it after hearing it spoken about by his companions. The incident of the disguised page and her love-adventures was common enough in literature. |