Emilia Lanier (also Aemilia or Amelia Lanyer, 1569–1645), ''née'' Aemilia Bassano, was an English poet and the first woman in England to assert herself as a professional poet,
through her volume ''
Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum
''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (Latin: ''Hail, God, King of the Jews'') is a volume of poems by English poet Emilia Lanier published in 1611. It was the first book of original poetry published by a woman in England. It was also the first book of poe ...
'' (''Hail, God, King of the Jews'', 1611). Attempts have been made to equate her with
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 "Dark Lady".
Biography
Emilia Lanier's life appears in her letters, poetry, and medical and legal records, and in sources for the social contexts in which she lived. Researchers have found interactions with Lanier in
astrologer
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...
Dr Simon Forman's (1552–1611) professional diary, the earliest known casebook kept by an English medical practitioner. She visited Forman many times in 1597 for consultations that incorporated astrological readings, as was usual in the medical practice of the period. The evidence from Forman is incomplete and sometimes hard to read (Forman's poor penmanship has caused critical problems to past scholars). However, his notes show she was an ambitious woman keen to rise into the gentry class.
Early life
![St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, London](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/St_Botolph-without-Bishopsgate%2C_London.JPG)
Church records show Lanier was baptised Aemilia Bassano at the parish church of
St Botolph,
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bishop ...
, on 27 January 1569. Her father, Baptiste Bassano, was a
Venetian-born musician at the court of Elizabeth I. Her mother was Margret Johnson (born c. 1545–1550), who was possibly an aunt of the court composer
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
. Lanier's sister, Angela Bassano, married Joseph Hollande in 1576, but neither of her brothers, Lewes and Phillip, reached adulthood.
[McBride, Kari Boyd (2008]
Web Page Dedicated to Aemilia Lanyer
, accessed on May 2015. It has been suggested, and disputed, that Lanier's family was
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
or of partly Jewish descent. Susanne Woods calls the evidence for it "circumstantial but cumulatively possible". Leeds Barroll says Lanier was "probably a Jew", her baptism being "part of the vexed context of Jewish assimilation in Tudor England."
Baptiste Bassano died on 11 April 1576, when Emilia was seven years old. His will instructed his wife that he had left young Emilia a dowry of £100, to be given to her when she turned 21 or on the day of her wedding, whichever came first. Forman's records indicate that Bassano's fortune might have waned before he died, which caused considerable unhappiness.
[Susanne Woods, ed. (1993) ''The Poems of Aemilia Lanyer'', Oxford University Press, New York, NY ]
Forman's records also indicate that after the death of her father, Lanier went to live with
Susan Bertie, Countess of Kent
Susan Bertie (born 1554) was the daughter of Catherine Duchess of Suffolk, ''née'' Willoughby, by her second husband, Richard Bertie. Susan was the noblewoman memorialized by Lanyer at the beginning of the ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (1611 ...
. Some scholars question whether Lanier went to serve Bertie or be fostered by her, but there is no conclusive evidence for either possibility. It was in Bertie's house that Lanier was given a
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
education and learnt
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. Bertie greatly valued and emphasized the importance of girls receiving the same level of education as young men.
This probably influenced Lanier and her decision to publish her writings. After living with Bertie, Lanier went to live with
Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland and Margaret's daughter,
Lady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...
. Dedications in Lanier's own poetry seem to confirm this information.
[McBride, ''Biography of Aemilia Lanyer'', 1.]
Lanier's mother died when Lanier was 18. Church records show that Johnson was buried in Bishopsgate on 7 July 1587.
Adulthood
Not long after her mother's death, Lanier became the
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
of
The 1st Baron Hunsdon, a Tudor courtier and cousin of
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
. At the time, Lord Hunsdon was Elizabeth's
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
and a patron of the arts and theatre, but he was 45 years older than Lanier, and records show he gave her a pension of £40 a year. Records indicate that Lanier enjoyed her time as his mistress. An entry from her diary reads, "
anierhath bin married 4 years/ The old Lord Chamberlain kept her longue She was maintained in great pomp ... she hath 40£ a yere & was welthy to him that married her in monie & Jewells."
[
In 1592, when she was 23, Lanier became pregnant with Hunsdon's child, but he paid her off with a sum of money. Lanier was then married to her ]first cousin once removed
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
, Alfonso Lanier. He was a Queen's musician; church records show the marriage taking place at St Botolph's Aldgate
St Botolph's Aldgate is a Church of England parish church in the City of London and also, as it lies outside the line of the city's former eastern walls, a part of the East End of London.
The full name of the church is St Botolph without Aldga ...
on 18 October 1592.
Forman's diary entries imply that Lanier's marriage was unhappy. The diary also relates that Lanier was happier as Lord Hunsdon's mistress than as Alfonso's bride, for "a nobleman that is ded hath Loved her well & kept her and did maintain her longe but her husband hath delte hardly with her and spent and consumed her goods and she is nowe... in debt."[ Another of Forman's entries states that Lanier told him about having several miscarriages. Lanier gave birth to a son, Henry, in 1593 (presumably named after his father, Henry, Lord Hunsdon) and a daughter, Odillya, in 1598. Odillya died when she was ten months old and was buried at St Botolph's.
In 1611, Lanier published her volume of poetry, ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum''. Lanier, 42 years old at the time, was the first woman in England to declare herself a poet. People who read her poetry considered it radical, and many scholars today refer to its style and arguments as ]protofeminist
Protofeminism is a concept that anticipates modern feminism in eras when the feminist concept as such was still unknown. This refers particularly to times before the 20th century, although the precise usage is disputed, as 18th-century feminism ...
.
Older years
After Alfonso's death in 1613, Lanier supported herself by running a school. She rented a house from Edward Smith to house her students, but disputes over the rental led to her being arrested twice between 1617 and 1619. Parents then proved unwilling to send their children to a woman with a history of arrest and Lanier's aspirations of running a prosperous school came to an end.[McBride, ''Biography of Aemilia Lanyer'', 3.]
Lanier's son eventually married Joyce Mansfield in 1623; they had two children, Mary (1627) and Henry (1630). Henry senior died in October 1633. Later court documents imply that Lanier may have been providing for her two grandchildren after their father's death.
Little else is known of Lanier's life between 1619 and 1635. Court documents state that she sued her husband's brother, Clement, for money owed to her from the profits of one of her late husband's financial patents. The court ruled in Lanier's favour, requiring Clement to pay her £20. Clement could not pay immediately, and so Lanier brought the suit back to court in 1636 and in 1638. There are no records to say whether Lanier was ever paid in full, but at the time of her death, she was described as a "pensioner", i. e. someone who has a steady income or pension.
Emilia Lanier died at the age of 76 and was buried at Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England.
Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington.
The well after which it was named was redisco ...
, on 3 April 1645.
Poetry
In 1611, at the age of 42, Lanier published a collection of poetry called ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (Hail, God, King of the Jews). At the time it was still highly unusual for an Englishwoman to publish, especially in an attempt to make a living. Emilia was only the fourth woman in the British Isles to publish poetry. Hitherto, Isabella Whitney
Isabella Whitney (most likely born between 1546 and 1548, died after 1624); fl. 1566–1600) was arguably the first female poet and professional woman writer in England. More specifically, Whitney is credited with being the first Englishwoman to h ...
had published a 38-page pamphlet of poetry partly written by her correspondents, Anne Dowriche, who was Cornish, and Elizabeth Melville
Elizabeth Melville, Lady Culross (c.1578–c.1640) was a Scottish poet.
In 1603 she became the earliest known Scottish woman writer to see her work in print, when the Edinburgh publisher Robert Charteris issued the first edition of ''Ane Godlie ...
, who was Scottish. So Lanier's book is the first book of substantial, original poetry written by an Englishwoman. She wrote it in the hope of attracting a patron. It was also the first potentially feminist work published in England, as all the dedications are to women and the title poem "Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum", about the crucifixion of Christ, is written from a woman's point of view. Her poems advocate and praise female virtue and Christian piety, but reflect a desire for an idealized, classless world.
Influences
Source analysis shows that Lanier draws on work that she mentions reading, including Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...
, Ovid
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
, Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...
, Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
, Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so we ...
, Agrippa Agrippa may refer to:
People Antiquity
* Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa
* Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century
* Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century
* Agri ...
, as well as protofeminists like Veronica Franco
Veronica Franco (1546–1591) was an Italian poet and courtesan in 16th-century Venice. She is known for her notable clientele, feminist advocacy, literary contributions, and philanthropy. Her humanist education and cultural contributions influe ...
and Christine de Pizan. Lanier makes use of two unpublished manuscripts and a published play translation by Mary Sidney
Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (born Sidney, 27 October 1561 – 25 September 1621) was among the first Englishwomen to gain notice for her poetry and her literary patronage. By the age of 39, she was listed with her brother Philip Sidney ...
, Countess of Pembroke. She also shows a knowledge of stage plays by 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 '' Eu ...
and Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel (1562–1619) was an English poet, playwright and historian in the late- Elizabethan and early- Jacobean eras. He was an innovator in a wide range of literary genres. His best-known works are the sonnet cycle ''Delia'', the epi ...
. The work of Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel (1562–1619) was an English poet, playwright and historian in the late- Elizabethan and early- Jacobean eras. He was an innovator in a wide range of literary genres. His best-known works are the sonnet cycle ''Delia'', the epi ...
informs her Masque, a theatrical form identified in her letter to Mary Sidney
Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (born Sidney, 27 October 1561 – 25 September 1621) was among the first Englishwomen to gain notice for her poetry and her literary patronage. By the age of 39, she was listed with her brother Philip Sidney ...
and resembling the Masque in '' The Tempest''.
Poems
The title poem "Salve Deus Rex Judæorum" is prefaced by ten shorter dedicated poems, all for aristocratic women, beginning with the Queen. There is also a prose preface addressed to the reader, containing a vindication of "virtuous women" against their detractors. The title poem, a narrative work of over 200 stanzas, tells the story of Christ's passion satirically and almost entirely from the point of view of the women who surround him. The title comes from the words of mockery supposedly addressed to Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
on the Cross. The satirical nature of the poem was first emphasized by Boyd Berry. Although the topics of virtue and religion were seen as suitable themes for women writers, Lanier's title poem has been viewed by some modern scholars as a parody of the Crucifixion, since Lanier approaches it with imagery of the Elizabethan grotesque, found, for instance, in some Shakespeare plays. Her views have been interpreted as "independent of church tradition" and heretical. Other scholars including A. L. Rowse view Lanier's conversion as genuine and her passionate devotion to Christ and to his mother as sincere. Still, comparisons have been made between Lanier's poem and religious satires that scholars have studied in Shakespearean works, including the poem ''The Phoenix and the Turtle'' and many of the plays.
In the central section of ''Salve Deus'' Lanier takes up the '' Querelle des Femmes'' by redefining Christian doctrine of "The Fall", and attacking Original Sin
Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...
, which is the foundation of Christian theology and Pauline doctrine about women causing it. Lanier defends Eve and women in general by arguing that Eve is wrongly blamed for Original Sin, while no blame attached to Adam. She argues that Adam shares the guilt, as he is shown in the Bible as being stronger than Eve, and so capable of resisting the temptation. She also defends women by noting the dedication of Christ's female followers in staying with him through the Crucifixion and first seeking him after the burial and Resurrection.
In ''Salve Deus,'' Lanier also draws attention to Pilate's wife
Pontius Pilate's wife is the unnamed spouse of Pontius Pilate, who appears only once in the Gospel of Matthew, where she intercedes with Pilate on Jesus' behalf. It is uncertain whether Pilate was actually married, although it is likely. In later ...
, a minor character in the Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
, who attempts to prevent the unjust trial and crucifixion of Christ. She also notes the male apostles that forsook and even denied Christ during His Crucifixion. Lanier repeats the anti-Semitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
aspects of the Gospel accounts: hostile attitudes towards the Jews for not preventing the Crucifixion – such views were the norm for her period.
There is no scholarly consensus on the religious motivation of the title poem. Some call it a genuinely religious poem from a strong, female angle. Others see it as a piece of clever satire. Although there is no agreement on intent and motive, most scholars note the strong feminist sentiments throughout ''Salve Deus Rex Judæorum.''
Lanier's book ends with the "Description of Cookham," commemorating Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland and her daughter Lady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...
. This is the first published country-house poem in English (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 better known "To Penshurst" may have been written earlier but was first published in 1616.) Lanier's inspiration came from a stay at Cookham Dean
Cookham Dean is a village to the west of the village of Cookham in Berkshire, England. It is the highest point of all the Cookhams (Cookham Rise, Cookham Village and Cookham Dean).
Commerce
Cookham Dean is served by two pubs, Uncle Tom's Cabin an ...
, where Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland, lived with her daughter Lady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...
, for whom Lanier was engaged as tutor and companion. The Clifford household possessed a significant library, some of which can be identified in the painting ''The Great Picture'', attributed to Jan van Belcamp
Jan van Belcamp (1610–1653) was a Flemish painter and copyist, active in England.
Life
He was born in Antwerp but spent most of his career in England, where he was employed making copies of pictures in the Royal Collection. According to his c ...
. As Helen Wilcox asserts, the poem is an allegory of the expulsion from Eden.
Feminist themes
''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' has been viewed by many as one of the earliest feminist works in English literature. Barbara Kiefer Lewalski in an article, "Writing Women and Reading the Renaissance", actually calls Lanier the "defender of womankind". Lewalski believes Lanier initiates her ideas of the genealogy of women with the first few poems in the collection, as dedications to prominent women. This follows the idea that "virtue and learning descend from mothers to daughters."[Lewalski, p. 803.]
Marie H. Loughlin continues Lewalski's argument in "'Fast ti'd unto Them in a Golden Chaine': Typology, Apocalypse, and Woman's Genealogy in Aemilia Lanier's ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum''" by noting that the genealogy of women began with Eve. Loughlin argues that Lanier advocates the importance of knowledge of the spiritual and the material worlds in women's connection. Lanier seems to argue that women must focus on the material world and their importance in it, to complement their life in the spiritual world. The argument derives from Lanier's seeming desire to raise women to the level of men.
Dark Lady theory
The Sonnets
Some have speculated that Lanier was Shakespeare's " Dark Lady". The identification, first proposed by A. L. Rowse, has been repeated by several authors since. It appears in David Lasocki and Roger Prior's book ''The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument makers in England 1531–1665'' (1995) and in Stephanie Hopkins Hughes. Although the colour of Lanier's hair is not known, records exist of her Bassano cousins being referred to as "black", a common term at the time for brunettes or people with Mediterranean colouring. Since she came from a family of Court musicians, she fits Shakespeare's picture of a woman playing the virginal
The virginals (or virginal) is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods.
Description
A virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular or polygonal form of ha ...
in Sonnet 128. Shakespeare claims that the woman was "forsworn" to another in Sonnet 152
Sonnet 152 is a sonnet by William Shakespeare. It is one of a collection of 154 sonnets, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, first published in a 1609.
Synopsis
Although concluding the sequence of ''The ...
, which has been speculated to refer to Lanier's relations with Shakespeare's patron, Lord Hunsdon. The theory that Lanier was the Dark Lady is doubted by other Lanier scholars, such as Susanne Woods (1999). Barbara Lewalski
Barbara Josephine Lewalski (; February 22, 1931 – March 2, 2018)Roberts, Sam (March 29, 2018).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewalski, Barbara Kiefer
1931 births
2018 deaths
American academics o ...
notes that Rowse's theory has deflected attention from Lanier as a poet. However, Martin Green argued that although Rowse's argument was unfounded, he was correct in saying that Lanier is referred to in the Sonnets.
Playwrights, musicians and poets have also expressed views. The theatre historian and playwright Andrew B. Harris wrote a play, ''The Lady Revealed'', which chronicles Rowse's identification of Lanier as the "Dark Lady". After readings in London and at the Players' Club, it received a staged reading at New Dramatists in New York City on 16 March 2015. In 2005, the English conductor Peter Bassano, a descendant of Emilia's brother, suggested she provided some of the texts for William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
's 1589 ''Songs of Sundrie Natures'', dedicated to Lord Hunsdon, and that one of the songs, a setting of the translation of an Italian sonnet "Of Gold all Burnisht", may have been used by Shakespeare as the model for his parodic Sonnet 130
William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 mocks the conventions of the showy and flowery courtly sonnets in its realistic portrayal of his mistress.
Synopsis
Sonnet 130 satirizes the concept of ideal beauty that was a convention of literature and art in ...
: ''My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun.'' The Irish poet Niall McDevitt also believes Lanier was the Dark Lady: "She spurned his advances somewhere along the line and he never won her back.... It's a genuine story of unrequited love." Tony Haygarth has argued that a certain 1593 miniature portrait by Nicholas Hilliard
Nicholas Hilliard () was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some larger cabinet miniatures, ...
depicts Lanier.
Plays
John Hudson points out that the names Emilia in ''Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'' and Bassanio in ''The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'' coincide with mentions of a swan dying to music, which he sees as a standard Ovidian image of a great poet. He asserts that the "swan song" may be a literary device used in some classical writings to conceal the name of an author. However, the notion that a dying swan sings a melodious "swan song" was proverbial, and its application to a character need not prove the character is being presented as a poet. So the evidence remains inconclusive and perhaps coincidental.
Furthermore, Prior argues that the play ''Othello'' refers to a location in the town of Bassano, and that the title of the play may refer to the Jesuit Girolamo Otello from the town of Bassano. The character Emilia speaks some of the first feminist lines on an English stage and so could be seen as a contemporary allegory for Emilia Lanier herself, while the musicians in both plays, Prior argues, are allegories for members of her family.
Hudson further believes that another "signature" exists in ''Titus Andronicus
''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...
'', where an Aemilius and a Bassianus each hold a crown. Each mirrors the other's position at the beginning and end of the play, as rhetorical markers indicating that the two names are a pair, and book-end the bulk of the play.[John Hudson (2014) ''Shakespeare's Dark Lady: Amelia Bassano Lanier: The Woman Behind Shakespeare's Plays?'', Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ]
In November 2020, Peter Bassano, a descendant of Lanier's uncle, published a book, ''Shakespeare and Emilia'', claiming to have found proof that Lanier is the Dark Lady. Bassano points to the similarity of Hilliard's alternative miniature to a description of Lord Biron's desired wife in ''Love's Labour's Lost'': "A whitely wanton, with a velvet brow. With two pitch balls stuck in her face for eyes."
Reputation
Lanier was a member of the minor gentry through her Italian father's appointment as a royal musician. She was further educated in the household of Susan Bertie, Countess of Kent
Susan Bertie (born 1554) was the daughter of Catherine Duchess of Suffolk, ''née'' Willoughby, by her second husband, Richard Bertie. Susan was the noblewoman memorialized by Lanyer at the beginning of the ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (1611 ...
. After her parents' death, Lanier was the mistress of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon Knight of the Garter, KG Privy Council of England, PC (4 March 1526 – 23 July 1596), was an English nobleman and courtier. He was the patron of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, William Shakespeare's playing company. ...
, first cousin of Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
. In 1592, she became pregnant by Carey and was subsequently married to court musician Alfonso Lanier, her cousin. She had two children, but only one survived into adulthood.
Lanier was largely forgotten for centuries, but study of her has abounded in recent decades. She is remembered for contributing to English literature her volume of verses ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'', for which she is seen as the first professional female poet in the English language. Indeed she is known as one of England's first feminist writers in any form, and potentially as the "dark lady" of Shakespearean myth.
In popular culture
The play ''Emilia
Emilia may refer to:
People
* Emilia (given name), list of people with this name
Places
* Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia
* Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...
'' by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
The Apathists were a collective of British playwrights who staged plays and happenings in London between March 2006 and March 2007. The events generated a cult following on the London theatre scene. The collective had a festival of their work at ...
, produced in London in 2018, is a "mock history" piece with a feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
message, in which Lanier rebukes Shakespeare for "lift ngher words".[
]Montserrat Lombard
Montserrat Lombard (born 1 August 1982) is an English actress best known for playing WPC (later DC) Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in the BBC drama series '' Ashes to Ashes''.
Early life
Lombard was born in London and is of Spanish and Italian desce ...
portrays Emilia Lanier in a recurring role on the BBC Two series ''Upstart Crow
Upstart or upstarts may refer to:
* HMS ''Upstart'', a Royal Navy U-class submarine
*Upstart (company), an online lending marketplace
*Upstart (software), a process management daemon used in several operating systems.
* Upstart (sculpture), a publi ...
'' from 2016 to 2018.
Lanier appears as a character in the 2019 video game ''Astrologaster
''Astrologaster'' is a comedy narrative adventure video game developed and published by Nyamyam. It was released for iOS on 2 May 2019, for Microsoft Windows and macOS on 9 May 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on 18 February 2021. The game centres ...
.''
Lanier is the central character of the novel ''The Heavens'' by Sandra Newman
Sandra Newman (born November 6, 1965, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American writer. She has a BA from Polytechnic of Central London, and an MA from the University of East Anglia.
Newman's first novel, ''The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever D ...
.
She is also referred to throughout the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman.
See also
*Lanier family tree
The Lanier family tree contains a number of musicians in the English royal court. This tree is not complete but is focused on showing the relationship of the well-known members of the family.
Sources
* The Dark Lady Players
Notes
References
Peter Bassano, ''Shakespeare and Emilia: The Untold Story'' . Giustiniani Publications. Kindle Edition.
*David Bevington, ''Aemilia Lanyer: Gender, Genre, and the Canon.'' Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1998
Mark Bradbeer, ''Aemilia Lanyer as Shakespeare's Co-Author.'' London: Routledge, 2022
*Martin Green, 'Emilia Lanier IS the Dark Lady' ''English Studies'' vol. 87, No.5, October 2006, 544–576
*John Hudson, ''Shakespeare's Dark Lady: Amelia Bassano Lanier: The Woman Behind Shakespeare's Plays?'', Stroud: Amberley Publishing, 2014
John Hudson, 'Amelia Bassano Lanier: A New Paradigm', ''The Oxfordian'' 11, 2008, 65–82
*Stephanie Hopkins Hughes, 'New Light on the Dark Lady' ''Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter'', 22 September 2000
*David Lasocki and Roger Prior, ''The Bassanos: Venetian Musicians and Instrument makers in England 1531–1665'', Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1995
*Peter Matthews, ''Shakespeare Exhumed: The Bassano Chronicles'', Stanthorpe: Bassano Publishing, 2013
*Ted Merwin, "The Dark Lady as a Bright Literary Light", ''The Jewish Week'', 23 March 2007, 56–57
Giulio M. Ongaro 'New Documents on the Bassano Family' ''Early Music'' vol. 20, 3 August 1992, 409–413
*Michael Posner, 'Rethinking Shakespeare' ''The Queen's Quarterly'', vol. 115, no. 2, 2008, 1–15
Michael Posner, 'Unmasking Shakespeare', ''Reform Judaism Magazine'', 2010
*Roger Prior, 'Jewish Musicians at the Tudor Court' ''The Musical Quarterly'', vol. 69, no 2, Spring 1983, 253–265
*Roger Prior, 'Shakespeare's Visit to Italy', ''Journal of Anglo-Italian Studies'' 9, 2008, 1–31
*Michelle Powell-Smith, 'Aemilia Lanyer: Redeeming Women Through Faith and Poetry,' 11 April 2000 on-line at Suite101
Roger Prior 'Jewish Musicians at the Tudor Court' ''The Musical Quarterly'', vol. 69, no 2, Spring 1983, 253–265
*Ruffati and Zorattini, 'La Famiglia Piva-Bassano Nei Document Degli Archevi Di Bassano Del Grappa,' ''Musica e Storia'', 2 December 1998
*Julia Wallace, 'That's Miss Shakespeare To You' ''Village Voice'', 28 March – 3 April 2007, 42
*Steve Weitzenkorn, ''Shakespeare's Conspirator: The Woman, The Writer, The Clues'', CreateSpace, 2015
*Susanne Woods, ''Lanyer: A Renaissance Woman Poet'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1999)
External links
Discussion of the identification of Lanier as the Dark Lady
John Hudson's thesis, that Lanier was the author of Shakespeare's plays
Project Continua: Biography of Aemilia Lanyer
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanier, Emilia
1569 births
1645 deaths
English people of Italian descent
People associated with Shakespeare
English women poets
16th-century English women writers
17th-century English women writers
16th-century English writers
17th-century English writers
17th-century educators