City comedy, also known as citizen comedy, is a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

in the English early modern theatre.

Definition

Emerging from

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

's late-

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

comedies of humours (1598–1599), the conventions of city comedy developed rapidly in the first decade of the

Jacobean era The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI of Scotland who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I. The Jacobean era succeeds the Elizabethan era and precedes the Ca ...

, as one playwright's innovations were soon adopted by others, such that by about 1605 the new genre was fully established. Its principal playwrights were Jonson himself,

Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...

, and John Marston, though many others also contributed to its development, including

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...

, Thomas Dekker, John Day, and

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...

. Once the companies of

boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...

s—the

Children of Paul's The Children of Paul's was the name of a troupe of boy actors in Elizabethan and Jacobean London. Along with the Children of the Chapel, they were an important component of the companies of boy players that constituted a distinctive feature of E ...

and the

Children of the Chapel The Children of the Chapel are the boys with unbroken voices, choristers, who form part of the Chapel Royal, the body of singers and priests serving the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they were called upon to do so. They were overseen ...

—had resumed public performances from 1600 onwards, most of their plays were city comedies. The closest that

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays come to the genre is the slightly earlier ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' (c. 1597), which is his only play set entirely in England; it avoids the caustic satire of city comedy, however, in preference for a more bourgeois mode (with its dual romantic plots governed by socio-economics not love or sex), while its setting,

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, is a town rather than a city. In contrast to the adventurous chronicles of Elizabethan comedy, such as Thomas Dekker's ''

The Shoemaker's Holiday ''The Shoemaker's Holiday or the Gentle Craft'' is an Elizabethan play written by Thomas Dekker. The play was first performed in 1599 by the Admiral's Men, and it falls into the subgenre of city comedy. The story features three subplots: an in ...

'' (1599) or

George Peele George Peele (baptised 25 July 1556 – buried 9 November 1596) was an English translator, poet, and dramatist, who is most noted for his supposed but not universally accepted collaboration with William Shakespeare on the play '' Titus Andronicu ...

's '' The Old Wives' Tale'' (c. 1590), or the intricately plotted romantic comedies of Shakespeare and

John Lyly John Lyly (; c. 1553 or 1554 – November 1606; also spelled ''Lilly'', ''Lylie'', ''Lylly'') was an English writer, dramatist of the University Wits, courtier, and parliamentarian. He was best known during his lifetime for his two books '' E ...

, city comedy was more realistic (excluding magical or marvellous elements) and sharp and

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

in tone.Gibbons (1980, 1). It portrayed a broad range of characters from different ranks (often focused on citizens), employing "deeds and language such as men do use", as Jonson put it, and was usually set in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. During the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began wit ...

the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

had produced a gradual shift to

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and much of London passed from church to private ownership.Pevsner (1962, 48). The Royal Exchange was founded in this period.

Mercantilism Mercantilism is an economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports for an economy. It promotes imperialism, colonialism, tariffs and subsidies on traded goods to achieve that goal. The policy aims to reduce ...

grew, and monopoly trading companies such as the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

were established, with trade expanding to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

. London became the principal

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad. The population rose from an estimated 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605. City comedies depict London as a hotbed of vice and folly; in particular, Jonson's '' Epicoene'', Middleton's ''A Trick to Catch the Old One'' and ''

A Chaste Maid in Cheapside ''A Chaste Maid in Cheapside'' is a city comedy written c. 1613 by English Renaissance playwright Thomas Middleton. Unpublished until 1630 and long-neglected afterwards, it is now considered among the best and most characteristic Jacobean comedie ...

'', and Marston's ''The Dutch Courtesan.'' Verna Foster has argued that John Ford's ''

'Tis Pity She's a Whore ''Tis Pity She's a Whore'' (original spelling: ''Tis Pitty Shee's a Who'' 'ore'') is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was first performed or between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first publ ...

'' (c. 1629–1633) re-works many of the features of city comedy within a tragic drama.Foster (1988).

List of city comedies

* ''

Every Man in his Humour ''Every Man in His Humour'' is a 1598 play by the English playwright Ben Jonson. The play belongs to the subgenre of the " humours comedy," in which each major character is dominated by an over-riding humour or obsession. Performance and pu ...

'' (1598), by Ben Jonson * '' The Family of Love'' (c. 1602), by Thomas Middleton * '' The Wise Woman of Hoxton'' (c. 1604), by Thomas Heywood * ''

A Trick to Catch the Old One ''A Trick to Catch the Old One'' is a Jacobean comedy written by Thomas Middleton, first published in 1608. The play is a satire in the subgenre of city comedy. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 7 October 1607 by the print ...

'' (c. 1604), by Thomas Middleton * ''

The Dutch Courtesan ''The Dutch Courtesan'' is an early Jacobean stage play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston circa 1604. It was performed by the Children of the Queen's Revels, one of the troupes of boy actors active at the time, in the Blac ...

'' (c. 1604), by John Marston * '' Westward Ho'' (1604), by Thomas Dekker and John Webster * ''

Eastward Ho ''Eastward Hoe'' or ''Eastward Ho!'' is an early Jacobean-era stage play written by George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John Marston. The play was first performed at the Blackfriars Theatre by a company of boy actors known as the Children of t ...

'' (1605), by George Chapman, Ben Jonson, and John Marston * ''

Northward Ho ''Northward Ho'' (or ''Ho!'', or ''Hoe'') is an early Jacobean era stage play, a satire and city comedy written by Thomas Dekker and John Webster, and first published in 1607. ''Northward Ho'' was a response to ''Eastward Ho'' (1605) by Ben Jon ...

'' (1605), by Thomas Dekker and John Webster * ''

Michaelmas Term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...

'' (c. 1605), by Thomas Middleton * '' A Mad World, My Masters'' (c. 1605), by Thomas Middleton * '' Cupid's Whirligig'' (1607), by Edward Sharpham * ''

Your Five Gallants ''Your Five Gallants'' is a Jacobean comedy by Thomas Middleton. It falls into the subgenre of city comedy. Allusions in the play point to a date of authorship of 1607. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 22 March 1608. The qu ...

'' (c. 1607), by Thomas Middleton * '' Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks'' (1608), by Lording Barry * '' Epicœne, or The Silent Woman'' (1609), by Ben Jonson * ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

'' (1610), by Ben Jonson * ''

The Roaring Girl ''The Roaring Girl'' is a Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker 1607–1610. The play was first published in quarto in 1611, printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Thomas Archer. The title page o ...

'' (c. 1611), by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker * ''

'' (c. 1611), by Thomas Middleton * ''

Bartholomew Fair The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...

'' (1614), by Ben Jonson * '' Anything for a Quiet Life'' (c. 1621), by Thomas Middleton (and, possibly, John Webster) * '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'' (c. 1621), by Philip Massinger * ''

The City Madam ''The City Madam'' is a Caroline era comedy written by Philip Massinger. It was licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 25 May 1632 and was acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre. It was printed in quarto in 16 ...

'' (c. 1632), by Philip Massinger

Notes

Sources

* Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Barroll, J. Leeds, Alexander Leggatt, Richard Hosley, and Alvin Kernan, eds. 1975. ''The Revels History of Drama in English.'' Vol. 3 (1576–1613). London: Methuen. * Bradbrook, M. C. 1955. ''The Growth and Structure of Elizabethan Comedy.'' London: Chatto & Windus. * Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. ''History of the Theatre''. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. . * Burgon, John William and E. Wilson. 1839. ''The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham, Founder of the Royal Exchange.'' Vol. 2. London: Robert Jennings. . * Donaldson, Ian. 1997. ''Jonson's Magic Houses: Essays in Interpretation.'' Oxford: Clarendon. . * Foster, Verna. 1988. "'Tis Pity She's a Whore as City Tragedy." In ''John Ford: Critical Revisions.'' Ed. Michael Neill. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 181–200. . * Gibbons, Brian. 1980. ''Jacobean City Comedy: A Study of the Satiric Plays by Jonson, Marston and Middleton.'' 2nd rev. ed. London: Methuen. . * Gurr, Andrew. 1992. ''The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642''. Third ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Hampton-Reeves, Stuart. 2007. ''The Shakespeare Handbooks:'' Measure for Measure. The Shakespeare Handbooks ser. New York: Macmillan. . * Howard, Jean E. 2001. "Shakespeare and the London City Comedy." ''Shakespeare Studies'' 39: 1–21. * Knights, L. C. 1937. ''Drama and Society in the Age of Jonson.'' Harmondsworth: Penguin. * Laroque, François. 2015. "Magic, Manipulation and Misrule in ''Doctor Faustus'' and ''Measure for Measure''." In ''The Circulation of Knowledge in Early Modern English Literature.'' Ed. Sophie Chiari. London: Routledge. 123–132. . * Leggatt, Alexander. 1973. ''Citizen Comedy in the Age of Shakespeare''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. * Leinwand, Theodore B. 1986. ''The City Staged: Jacobean Comedy, 1603–1613''. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. * McLuskie, Kathleen E. 1994. ''Dekker & Heywood: Professional Dramatists''. English Dramatists ser. London: Macmillan. . * Orlin, Lena Cowen. 2008. "Shakespearean Comedy and Material Life." ''A Companion to Shakespeare's Works.'' Vol. 3: The Comedies. Ed. Richard Dutton and Jean E. Howard. Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture ser. Oxford: Blackwell. 159–181. . *

Pevsner, Nikolaus Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (19 ...

. 1962. ''London I: The Cities of London and Westminster.'' 2nd rev. ed. The Buildings of England ser. Harmondsworth: Penguin. .

External links

* {{gutenberg author, id=Thomas+Dekker , name=Thomas Dekker Theatrical genres English drama Comedy genres

Definition

List of city comedies

See also

Notes

Sources

External links