Back in France Richelieu* Pushes Theatre Development

Back in France Richelieu* Pushes Theatre Development

1629 - Cardinal Richelieu* [see p.140] (1585-1642) is made Chief Minister to the court of Louis XIII*, becoming the virtual ruler of France. He uses his position to encourage the development of French literature and the arts, especially playwrighting, and fancies himself a dramatic author. He collects five playwrights (Collete, Claude de l'Etoile, Rotrou*, Boisrobert and Corneille *), to make plays out of rough sketches he writes for them. Georges de Scudery* (1601-67), an aspiring playwright is not one of these favored few and his resentment of Corneille* will crop up later. Corneille* had written his first play back in his home town of Rouen for a strolling company. The play is titled Melite*, a comedy unlike either farce or pastoral and which will set French comedy on new path. It was successfully produced in Rouen, starring Montdory* (Guillaume Desgilberts 1594-1651) who now comes to Paris with his acting company this year after beginning his acting career in a tour of Holland in 1612. Montdory* mounts a new production of Melite* here in Paris. It is so successful that Montdory*'s company becomes one of the leading ones in Paris.

1629 - Du Ryer*, an educated government official, produces Clitophon*. He helps to establish tragedy as a popular form.

De Rotrou* adapts Spanish dramas, bringing love versus honor to the French stage. He becomes the principal dramatist to the Hotel de Bourgogne. This going to the Spanish will be very important for Corneille* later. The love and honor theme will really excite Racine*.

1629 In England Charles I* dissolves another Parliament in March and one will not meet again until 1640.

1630 - In France, concern for the actor's personal character and dignity appears. Gougenot*'s La Comedie des Comedians*, depicts a rehearsal and defends actors from the charge of immorality.

In Spain Tirso de Molina* comes out with his El Burlador de Sevilla* (The Trickster of Seville) the first theatrical work of the Don Juan* story.

1631 Over in India the Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal* for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to her fourteenth child.

1631 - Lope de Vega* is doing another of his better known plays, Punishment Without Revenge*.

In Spain the actors are finally allowed to form a guild like that of other trades. The Confradia

de la Novena* is still in existence and includes all theatrical people. This really helps raise the social status of the actor from being branded "infamous", a rogue and vagabond and denied church sacraments.

Ben Jonson* retires from writing masques for the court and William Davenant becomes the principal writer.

1632 - Back in France they are also concerned about the social status of actors. Georges de Scudery* (1601-67) comes out with a play with the same title as Gougenot*'s La Comedie des Comedians* also arguing that actors, like everyone else, should be judged on an individual basis. His list of qualifications to be an actor includes: appropriate facial expression, impressive bearing, unconstrained movement, absence of provincial accent, absence of posturing, a good memory, and sound judgement.

1632 Charles I* issues a charter for the colony of Maryland (named for his queen, Henrietta Maria) and puts it under the control of Lord Baltimore.