The Seven Deadly Sins (play)
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''The Seven Deadly Sins'' was a two-part play written c. 1585, attributed to Richard Tarlton, and most likely premiered by his company,
Queen Elizabeth's Men Queen Elizabeth's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in English Renaissance theatre. Formed in 1583 at the express command of Queen Elizabeth, it was the dominant acting company for the rest of the 1580s, as the Admiral's Men and the ...
. The play drew upon the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
tradition of the morality play; though it was very popular in its time, no copy of either part has survived.


The "plot"

The play is significant, however, because the "plot" of ''Part 2'' still exists; it was discovered in the cover of a 17th-century manuscript play, ''The Tell Tale'', in a collection at Dulwich College. Originally assumed to be part of
Edward Alleyn Edward "Ned" Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishopsga ...
's papers, subsequent investigation suggests it was part of the collection bequeathed by player-bookseller William Cartwright the younger (c.1606–86), and was obtained by Edmond Malone when he traded the college some old religious tracts for plays from the Cartwright bequest. As the term was used in English Renaissance theatre, the "plot" of a play was a chart that summarized its action; it was posted in the "tiring house" or backstage area of a theatre. The plot of ''S.D.S. 2'' has a square hole punched in its middle, where it was hung on a board for all to read. The cast members of an Elizabethan dramatic production had their own parts written out for them, with relevant entrances and cues — but they did not have their own individual copies of the play text as a whole. So the posted plot was an important resource in keeping the production organized. Surviving Elizabethan plots are extremely rare — only half a dozen exist. The existing plot for ''S.D.S. 2'' is not from the original production c. 1585, but from a later production c. 1597–98. It was acted by personnel from
Chamberlain's Men The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a company of actors, or a "playing company" (as it then would likely have been described), for which Shakespeare wrote during most of his career. Richard Burbage played most of the lead roles, including Hamlet, Othel ...
at
The Theatre The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England. It was built in 1576 after the ...
, the first of the large public theatres of the Elizabethan era. The plot shows that ''Part 2'' consisted of episodes concerning three of the seven deadly sins, Envy, Sloth, and Lechery; ''S.D.S. 1'' must therefore have dealt with Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, and Pride.


The cast

That cast names many of the players of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, including two boys apprenticed to John Heminges in 1595 and 1597. The plot refers to the production's personnel sometimes under the actors' names, sometimes by nicknames, and sometimes only by their roles; but at least a partial reconstruction of the actors and their roles is possible: "Ro. Go.," the actor (most likely a boy player) who filled a female role, might have been Robert Gough, who was with the Chamberlain's/King's troupe down to 1621. "Kit" might have been
Christopher Beeston Christopher Beeston (c. 1579 – c. 15 October 1638) was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood. Early life Little is kno ...
, who was with the Chamberlain's in the 1598–1602 period. The plot also mentions Robert Pallant, John Duke, and John Holland, all Lord Chamberlain's Men, and Thomas Goodale, a hired player. Other players named on the lot include Vincent (Thomas Vincent?), T. Belt (Thomas Belt), Saunder ( Alexander Cooke), Nick (
Nicholas Tooley Nicholas Tooley (c. 1583 – June 1623) was a Renaissance actor in the King's Men, the acting company of William Shakespeare. Recent research has shown that Tooley was born in late 1582 or early 1583; his birth name was not Tooley but Wilkin ...
?), Ned (
Edmund Shakespeare Edmund Shakespeare (1580 in Stratford-upon-Avon – buried 31 December 1607 in London) was a 16th- and 17th-century English actor, and the brother of William Shakespeare. Life He was the youngest child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden and t ...
?), and Will (
William Ostler William Ostler (died 16 December 1614) was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a member of the King's Men, the company of William Shakespeare. Ostler started out as a boy player in the Children of the Chapel troupe; he was cast in their 1 ...
?
William Ecclestone William Ecclestone or EgglestoneDNB ( fl. 1610 – 1623) was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a member of Shakespeare's company the King's Men. Life Nothing is known with certainty about Ecclestone's early life. There was an Eccles ...
?).Kathman 28-30.


Notes


References

* Chambers, E. K. ''The Elizabethan Stage.'' 4 Volumes, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1923. * Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642.'' Third edition, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. * Halliday, F. E. ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964.'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964. * Kathman, David
"Reconsidering the Seven Deadly Sins"
''Early Theatre'' Vol. 7 (2004), pp. 13–44. * Kathman, David
"''The Seven Deadly Sins'' and Theatrical Apprenticeship"
''Early Theatre'' Vol. 14 (2011), pp. 121–39. * McMillin, Scott. "Greg, Fleay, and the Plot of ''2 Seven Deadly Sins''," ''Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England'', Vol. 4 (1989), pp. 3–62. * Nunzeger, Edwin. ''A Dictionary of Actors and of Others Associated with the Representation of Plays in England Before 1642''. New Haven, Yale University Press, 1929.


External links


''The Seven Deadly Sins''
at ''Lost Plays Database''
''The Second Part of the Seven Deadly Sins''
at ''Lost Plays Database'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Deadly Sins, The English Renaissance plays 1580s plays Seven deadly sins in popular culture