''The Unnatural Combat'' is a
Jacobean era stage play, a
tragedy written by
Philip Massinger, and first published in
1639
Events
January–March
* January 14 – Connecticut's first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, is adopted.
* January 19 – Hämeenlinna ( sv, Tavastehus) is granted privileges, after it separates from the Vanaja parish, ...
.
No hard data on the play's date of origin or initial theatrical production has survived. Scholars estimate a date in the early 1620s; "There is a strong case for a late 1624 or early 1625 date for the play." The play was entered into the
Stationers' Register
The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including print ...
on 14 February 1639, and published in
quarto later that year by the bookseller
John Waterson
John Waterson (died 10 February 1656) was a London publisher and bookseller of the Jacobean and Caroline eras; he published significant works in English Renaissance drama, including plays by William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, John Webster, an ...
; the title page states that it was acted by the
King's Men in the
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...
. The quarto also bears Massinger's dedication of the play to a personal friend, Sir Anthony St. Leger (or "Sentleger").
In search of a source for Massinger's plot, critics have considered the story of
Beatrice Cenci and a passage in Jonson's ''
Catiline'' that refers to "incest, murders, rapes...incestuous life." Yet it is clear from the thinness of these connections that the plot of the play is "Massinger's own."
Scholars have studied ''The Unnatural Combat'' for resonances with the events of its era; it has been argued that the play's portrait of its villain Malefort Senior alludes to the sex scandals and witchcraft allegations surrounding