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    The Malcontent: 'People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven''
    The Malcontent: 'People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven''
    The Malcontent: 'People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven''
    Ebook159 pages1 hour

    The Malcontent: 'People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven''

    By John Marston

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    About this ebook

    John Marston was born to John and Maria Marston née Guarsi, and baptised on October 7th, 1576 at Wardington, Oxfordshire.

    Marston entered Brasenose College, Oxford in 1592 and earned his BA in 1594. By 1595, he was in London, living in the Middle Temple. His interests were in poetry and play writing, although his father's will of 1599 hopes that he would not further pursue such vanities.

    His brief career in literature began with the fashionable genres of erotic epyllion and satire; erotic plays for boy actors to be performed before educated young men and members of the inns of court.

    In 1598, he published ‘The Metamorphosis of Pigmalion's Image and Certaine Satyres’, a book of poetry. He also published ‘The Scourge of Villanie’, in 1598.

    ‘Histriomastix’ regarded as his first play was produced 1599. It’s performance kicked off an episode in literary history known as the War of the Theatres; a literary feud between Marston, Jonson and Dekker that lasted until 1602.

    However, the playwrights were later reconciled; Marston wrote a prefatory poem for Jonson's ‘Sejanus’ in 1605 and dedicated ‘The Malcontent’ to him.

    Beyond this episode Marston's career continued to gather both strength, assets and followers. In 1603, he became a shareholder in the Children of Blackfriars company. He wrote and produced two plays with the company. The first was ‘The Malcontent’ in 1603, his most famous play. His second was ‘The Dutch Courtesan’, a satire on lust and hypocrisy, in 1604-5.

    In 1605, he worked with George Chapman and Ben Jonson on ‘Eastward Ho’, a satire of popular taste and the vain imaginings of wealth to be found in the colony of Virginia.

    Marston took the theatre world by surprise when he gave up writing plays in 1609 at the age of thirty-three. He sold his shares in the company of Blackfriars. His departure from the literary scene may have been because of further offence he gave to the king. The king suspended performances at Blackfriars and had Marston imprisoned.

    On 24th September 1609 he was made a deacon and them a priest on 24th December 1609. In October 1616, Marston was assigned the living of Christchurch, Hampshire.

    He died (accounts vary) on either the 24th or 25th June 1634 in London and was buried in the Middle Temple Church.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStage Door
    Release dateMar 25, 2019
    ISBN9781787804913
    The Malcontent: 'People don't forget. Nothing gets forgiven''

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      Book preview

      The Malcontent - John Marston

      The Malcontent by John Marston

      With an Induction by John Webster

      John Marston was born to John and Maria Marston née Guarsi, and baptised on October 7th, 1576 at Wardington, Oxfordshire.

      Marston entered Brasenose College, Oxford in 1592 and earned his BA in 1594. By 1595, he was in London, living in the Middle Temple. His interests were in poetry and play writing, although his father's will of 1599 hopes that he would not further pursue such vanities.

      His brief career in literature began with the fashionable genres of erotic epyllion and satire; erotic plays for boy actors to be performed before educated young men and members of the inns of court.

      In 1598, he published ‘The Metamorphosis of Pigmalion's Image and Certaine Satyres’, a book of poetry. He also published ‘The Scourge of Villanie’, in 1598.

      ‘Histriomastix’ regarded as his first play was produced 1599. It’s performance kicked off an episode in literary history known as the War of the Theatres; a literary feud between Marston, Jonson and Dekker that lasted until 1602.

      However, the playwrights were later reconciled; Marston wrote a prefatory poem for Jonson's ‘Sejanus’ in 1605 and dedicated ‘The Malcontent’ to him.

      Beyond this episode Marston's career continued to gather both strength, assets and followers.  In 1603, he became a shareholder in the Children of Blackfriars company. He wrote and produced two plays with the company. The first was ‘The Malcontent’ in 1603, his most famous play. His second was ‘The Dutch Courtesan’, a satire on lust and hypocrisy, in 1604-5.

      In 1605, he worked with George Chapman and Ben Jonson on ‘Eastward Ho’, a satire of popular taste and the vain imaginings of wealth to be found in the colony of Virginia.

      Marston took the theatre world by surprise when he gave up writing plays in 1609 at the age of thirty-three.  He sold his shares in the company of Blackfriars. His departure from the literary scene may have been because of further offence he gave to the king. The king suspended performances at Blackfriars and had Marston imprisoned.

      On 24th September 1609 he was made a deacon and them a priest on 24th December 1609. In October 1616, Marston was assigned the living of Christchurch, Hampshire.

      He died (accounts vary) on either the 24th or 25th June 1634 in London and was buried in the Middle Temple Church.

      Index of Contents

      STORY OF THE PLAY

      TO THE READER

      DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

      THE SCENE:—Genoa.

      THE INDUCTION

      THE MALCONTENT

      ACT I

      SCENE I - Palace of the Duke of Genoa

      SCENE II - Palace of the Duke of Genoa

      SCENE III - The palace of the Duke of Genoa

      ACT II

      SCENE I - Chamber in the Duke’s Palace

      SCENE II - Chamber in the Duke’s Palace

      SCENE III - A chamber in the Duke’s Palace

      ACT III

      SCENE I - A room in the Duke’s Palace

      SCENE II - A forest near the sea

      ACT IV

      SCENE I - Palace of the Duke

      SCENE II - Court of the Palace

      ACT V

      SCENE I - A room in the Palace

      SCENE II - Before the Citadel

      SCENE III - The Presence-Chamber

      AN IMPERFECT ODE, BEING BUT ONE STAFF, SPOKEN BY THE PROLOGUE

      EPILOGUS

      JOHN MARSTON – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

      JOHN MARSTON – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

      STORY OF THE PLAY

      Giovanni Altofronto, Duke of Genoa, driven from power by the plots of Pietro Jacomo, disguises himself and lives under the name of Malevole at the usurper’s court, assuming the character of a malcontent. His identity is known only to his faithful friend Celso. A crafty courtier, Mendoza, who had assisted in dethroning Altofronto, has adulterous intercourse with Pietro’s wife, Aurelia. Malevole exposes the intrigue to Pietro; but meanwhile Aurelia, induced by an old procuress, Maquerelle, to believe that her lover is faithless, discards Mendoza and engages in an intrigue with another courtier, Ferneze. Pietro, sword in hand, seeks Mendoza, who makes passionate protestations of his own innocence, and declares that the guilty person is Ferneze. On that very night Ferneze has an appointment with the Duchess; and it is agreed that Pietro with some of the guard shall break into the Duchess’ chamber, while Mendoza waits with his drawn sword at the door. Ferneze is to be allowed to escape from the chamber, only to be received on the sword of Mendoza, who is then to stand over the body and pretend that he is guarding it from assault. Thus Mendoza will not only serve Pietro, but by his seeming generosity towards Ferneze will earn the gratitude of Aurelia, who, should she attempt to take vengeance on her husband, will not fail to make Mendoza acquainted with her plots, which he will incontinently reveal to Pietro. At the hour appointed, Pietro and the guard invade the Duchess’ chamber; the flying gallant is stabbed by Mendoza and left for dead (though he afterwards recovers from the wound); Aurelia receives Mendoza again into favour, and practises with him to murder Pietro. Mendoza, selecting a time when Pietro had gone a-hunting, bribes Malevole to commit the murder. Malevole undertakes to kill Pietro by stealth in the forest, fling his body into the sea, and then return to announce that Pietro, distracted by grief at the dishonour brought on him by his wife, has made away with himself by leaping into the sea from a high rock. To the forest goes Malevole, finds Pietro, and exposes to him the plot; presently Celso appears bringing a hermit’s weeds, into which Pietro shifts. They return to the court, and the pretended hermit describes with much detail how he saw Pietro perish, the narrative being substantiated by Malevole. Mendoza is proclaimed Duke, and his first act is to pronounce a sentence of perpetual banishment on Aurelia. He then commissions Malevole to bring from the citadel (where she is confined) the wife of the banished Altofronto, the virtuous Maria, whom he intends to make his Duchess. His brain is now exercised to procure the destruction of the supposed murderers. Malevole is instructed to poison the hermit at a supper given in the citadel, and the hermit on the same occasion is to poison Malevole; thus two awkward agents will be removed, and the suspicion will fall on Maria, whose fears will drive her to submit to Mendoza. Pietro informs Malevole of the instructions he had received, and learns that similar instructions have been given to Malevole. Weighed down with sorrow at his own dishonour, and disgusted with Mendoza’s villainy, Pietro declares his determination to dedicate his life to religious solitude, and make it his one care that the banished Altofronto shall be restored to the dukedom. Thereupon Malevole puts off his disguise, and Pietro beholds the banished Duke. Ferneze now approaches with Celso, and receives pardon from Pietro, who had supposed him to be dead. The four then take counsel how they shall depose Mendoza. Malevole goes to the usurper and announces that he has poisoned the hermit; he then produces a box of poison, which, he declares, will cause instant death on being opened and held to the nostrils. Mendoza opens the box and tries its effects on Malevole, who feigns to fall dead. A masque is ordered by Mendoza to be given in honour of Maria, who shows

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