The Audience of the Jacobean Masque, with a Reference to The Tempest
Part of : Γράμμα : περιοδικό θεωρίας και κριτικής ; Vol.15, No.1, 2007, pages 67-86
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67-86
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Abstract:
This paper focuses on the role of the royal and aristocratic audience inthe masques produced in the reign of James I, the first period of whichcoincides with the last years of Shakespeare’s life and career. Masqueswere the only dramatic performances of the time in which the audiencehad such a complex role. The role of James I, Queen Anne, Prince Henryand later on Prince Charles was not restricted to the conventional one ofthe viewer, but was extended to the inception, production and staging ofthe masque. Queen Anne and her two sons often crossed the bordersseparating the actors from the audience and held the key roles of thespectacle. The masquers surrounding them were trusted members oftheir court who also left their conventional positions as viewers to becomeactors. The aim of these outrageously costly spectacles was the glorificationof the King and his court. However, a close reading of thesemasques reveals the weaknesses of this form of propaganda and the frivolityand arrogance of its audience. The examination of the masque includedin The Tempest sets its own questions with respect to the privileges of the people who constituted the masque audience and highlights the reasons that are responsible for the parallel decline of the masque and monarchy.
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Keywords:
audience, masque, Shakespeare, The Tempest, monarchy
