Puppets, Masques, and Buffoons
When Pulter seeks examples of spectacle, she settles on three: puppet plays, masques, and buffoons. Puppet plays were performed publicly throughout the seventeenth century in London, even when the theaters were closed in the 1640s and 1650s. One venue was the summer London fair called Bartholomew Fair. In a play by the same name, Ben Jonson stages a puppet show in its final act that might offer insight into early modern puppeteering. A brief excerpt of the bickering, name-calling puppets’ dialogue reveals the show’s bawdiness:
- Puppet Damon: Knave, out of door?
- Puppet Hero: Yes, knave, out of door.
- Puppet Damon: Whore, out of door?
- Puppet Hero: I say, knave, out of door!
- Puppet Damon: I say, whore, out of door!
- Puppet Pythais: Yea, so say I too.
- Puppet Hero: Kiss the whore o’the arse.
A masque was a kind of court entertainment that combined speeches by professional actors with dancing by members of the court. Masques featured elaborate costumes, music, scenery, and special effects. Although they were an important aspect of the politics and culture at the Stuart court, they were also regularly criticized for being too costly and frivolous. Masques were often part of late-night parties that included indulgent feasting and drunkenness, and puritan writers protested this excess. Ben Jonson wrote many masques for the courts of James I and Charles I. The following excerpt is from Jonson’s late masque Chloridia, performed on February 22, 1631. It includes Jonson’s description of the first scene and a small section of the initial dialogue.
The curtain being drawn up, the scene is discovered, consisting of pleasant hills, planted with young trees, and all the lower banks adorned with flowers. And from some hollow parts of those hills, fountains come gliding down, which in the far-off landscape seemed all to be converted to a river.
Over all, a serene sky with transparent clouds, giving a great luster to the whole work, which did imitate the pleasant spring.
When the spectators had enough fed their eyes with the delights of the scene, in a part of the air a bright cloud begins to break forth, and in it is sitting a plump boy in a changeable garment, richly adorned, representing the mild Zephyrus. On the other side of the scene in a purplish cloud appeareth the Spring, a beautiful maid, her upper garment green, under it a white robe wrought with flowers, a garland on her head.
Here Zephyrus begins his dialogue, calling her forth and making narration of the gods’ decree at large, which she obeys, pretending it is come to Earth already, and there begun to be executed by the King’s favor, who assists with all bounties that may be either urged as causes or reasons of the Spring.
The First Song
- ZEPHYRUS
- Come forth, come forth, the gentle Spring,
- And carry the glad news I bring
- To Earth, our common mother:
- It is decreed by all the gods
- The heaven of earth shall have no odds,
- But one shall love another.
- Their glories they shall mutual make,
- Earth look on heaven for heaven’s sake;
- Their honors shall be even;
- All emulation cease, and jars;
- Jove will have Earth to have her stars
- And lights, no less than heaven.
- SPRING
- It is already done, in flowers
- As fresh and new as are the hours,
- By warmth of yonder sun.
- But will be multiplied on us,
- If from the breath of Zephyrus
- Like favor we have won.
The word “buffoon” is a contemptuous term for a jester or clown. Robert Armin was an actor in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s playing company, who was known for playing stage clowns. He wrote a book called Fool upon Fool (1600) that gathers anecdotes and jokes about fools. Here is one representative example, a story about King Henry VIII’s jester Will Sommers.
How this merry fool Will Sommers, to make the King merry, asked him three questions
Howsoever these three things came in memory and are for mirth inserted into stage plays, I know not, but that Will Sommers asked them of the King, it is certain. There are some will affirm it now living in Greenwich. The King upon a time being extreme[ly] melancholy and full of passion, all that Will Sommers could do would not make him merry. “Ah,” says he, “this cloud must have a good shower to cleanse it.” And with that, goes behind the arras. “Harry,” says he, “I’ll go behind the arras and study these three questions and come again. See therefore you lay aside this melancholy muse and study to answer me.” “Aye,” quoth the King, “they will be wise ones, no doubt.” At last, out comes William with his wit, as the fool of the play doth with an antic look to please the beholders. “Harry,” says he, “what is that the lesser it is, the more it is to be feared?” The King mused at it, but to grace the jest the better (for he was in that humor to grace good will, the excellentest prince on the earth) the King made answer: he knew not. Will made answer: it was a little bridge over a deep river. At which he smiled, knowing it was fearful indeed. “What is the next, William?” says the King. “Mary [an early modern oath], this is next: what is the cleanliest trade in the world?” “Mary,” says the King, “I think a comfit-maker [a maker of sugary fruit treats], for he deals with nothing but pure ware and is attired clean in white linen when he sells it.” “No Harry,” says Will, “you are wide [far from the right answer].” “What say you then?” quoth the King. “Mary,” says Will, “I say a dirt-dauber” [one who plasters with dirt or mud]. “Out on it,” says the King, “That is the foulest, for he is dirty up to the elbows.” “Aye,” says Will, “but then he washes them clean again and eats his meat cleanly enough.” “I promise thee, Will,” says the King, “you hast a pretty foolish wit.” “Aye Harry,” says he, “it will serve to make a wiser man than you a fool, methinks.” At this, the King laughed and demands the third question. “Now tell me,” says Will, “if you can, what it is, that being born without life, head, nose, lip, or eye, and yet runs terribly roaring through the world till it dies?” “This is a wonder,” quoth the King, “and no question and I know it not.” “Why,” quoth Wil, “it is a fart.” At this the King laughed heartily and was exceeding merry and bids Will ask any reasonable thing and he would grant it. “Thanks, Harry,” says he. “Now against I want, I know where to find, for yet I need nothing, but one day I shall: for every man sees his latter end but know not his beginning.” The King understood his meaning and so pleasantly departed for that season, and Will lays him down amongst the spaniels to sleep.