Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe (* approx. 1550 ; † January 6, 1616 in London ) was an English theater director .
Life
Henslowe was born in Lindfield , West Sussex . His family is from Devon . His father, Edmund Henslowe, was from 1539 until his death in 1562 appointed Master of the Game ( game warden ) for the Ashdown Forest in Sussex.
In the 1570s, Henslowe moved to London and became a member of the Dyers Company . Henslowe married the widow Henry Woodwards Agnes and from 1577 lived in Southwark , across from The Clink Prison . His older brother Edmund was a trader who owned properties in Southwark. It was believed that his wife's legacy enabled Henslowe to get started in business, but that is not proven. He became involved early on in the parish of Southwarder St Savior's ward, u. a. as the Overseer of the Poor . During the reign of Elizabeth I , he was Groom of the Chamber . Under King James I , he served as "Gentleman Sewer of the Chamber" (a subordinate servant rank). Henslowe also works as a collector of property taxes to be paid to the Queen, the "Lay Subsidies". Henslowe pursued many businesses including dyeing fabrics, manufacturing starch , pawnbroking , lending and trading in goat skin. He owned properties in East Grinstead and Buxted in East Sussex , where his brother-in-law, the royal metal and arms maker Ralf Hogge, lived. Between 1576 and 1586, Henslowe traded in wood from the Ashdown Forest. However, he achieved his main income as a landlord in Southwark. One of his later playwrights, Henry Chettle , described him as ruthlessly tough on his poor tenants, although Henslowe Chettle later made many loans and they appeared to be on friendly terms.
As a theater director
In 1584, Henslowe bought a property in Southwark called The Little Rose , which had rose gardens and almost certainly had a brothel business. In 1587, Henslowe and the grocer John Cholmley built The Rose Theater , the third of the large, permanent playhouses in London and the first in Bankside . From 1591, Henslowe entered into a partnership with the Admiral's Men drama troupe after they separated from theater director James Burbage and his troupe of Lord Chamberlain's Men in a dispute over the distribution of revenues. Its head Edward Alleyn became part of his family on October 22, 1592 by marrying Henslowe's stepdaughter Joan Woodward . Henslowe was to work closely with his son-in-law until the end of his life.
In 1598, Burbage's theater company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, built the new Globe Theater in Bankside. The new competitive situation brought movement to the London theater landscape. Alleyn and Henslowe commissioned building contractor Peter Street in north London (as well as the Rose outside the city walls) to build a new theater, the Fortune Playhouse , for £ 510 . The Admiral's Men played there from then on. On Alleyn's advice, Henslowe employed the playwrights Thomas Dekker , George Chapman , Michael Drayton and Thomas Heywood, among others . In the years 1593 to 1596, Henslowe brought over 55 pieces to the stage. Philip Henslowe died on January 16, 1616 in London at the age of 66.
meaning
Henslowe's importance lies above all in his meticulously kept “Diaries”, which are not diaries in the true sense of the word, but inventory lists. From 1592 to 1603 he recorded the performances and income, purchases and sales, contracts with actors, as well as information about costumes and existing backdrops.
As an example, consider an entry on the inventory of the Lord Admiral's Men drama troupe from March 10, 1598:
- Item, i rock, i cage, i tomb, i Hell mouth… i bedstead.
- Item, viii lances, i pair of stairs for Phaethon.
- Item, i globe, & i golden scepter; iii clubs
- Item, i golden fleece, ii racquets, i bay tree.
- Item, i lion's skin, i bear's skin; Phaethon's limbs, & Phaethon's chariot, & Argus's head.
- Item, Iris's head, & rainbow; i little altar ...
- i ghost's gown; i crown with a sun.
Translation:
- Item , 1 rock, 1 cage, 1 grave, 1 hell gate, 1 bed,
- Item, 8 lances, 1 pair of steps for Phaeton ,
- Item, 1 globe, & 1 golden scepter , 3 clubs,
- Item, 1 golden fleece , 2 tennis rackets, 1 laurel tree,
- Item, 1 lion skin, 1 bear skin, Phaeton's limbs, & Phaeton's chariot, and Argus' head,
- Item, Iris' head, & rainbow, 1 small altar
- 1 ghost costume, 1 crown with a sun.
This gives today's researchers a detailed insight into Elizabethan theater practice, which would not be possible without these diaries. For example, conclusions can be drawn from this about the dating of some of William Shakespeare's dramas , since Hamlet , Henry VI, Part 1 , Henry V , The Taming of the Shrew and Titus Andronicus are mentioned. Shakespeare's name does not appear.
Works
- Reginald A. Foakes (Ed.): Henslowes Diary . Cambridge: Univ. Pr., 2000. ISBN 0-521-81866-4
literature
- Neil Carson: A companion to Henslowes diary . Cambridge: Univ. Pr., 1988. ISBN 0-521-23545-6
Individual evidence
- ^ Office Holders in Modern Britain Volume 11 (revised), from Court Officers , 1660-1837 in British History Online
- ↑ Murray Bromberg: The Reputaion of Philip Henslowe . in Shakespeare Quarterly , Issue 1, No. 3 (July 1950), pages 135-139. on-line
- ↑ Shakspere and Sir Walter Ralegh in the Google book search
- ^ Information in Shakespeare Online
- ↑ Information in the Encyclopædia Britannica under Fortune Theater . Retrieved February 18, 2020.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Henslowe, Philip |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English theater director |
DATE OF BIRTH | around 1550 |
DATE OF DEATH | January 6, 1616 |
Place of death | London |