Ben Jonsons Masques

It appears that Jonson won royal attention by his Entertainment at Althorpe, given before James Is
queen as she journeyed down from Scotland in 1603, and in 1605 The Masque of Blackness was
presented at court.

Elizabeths frugality prevented the masque from developing in her reign. It was in frequent use,
but the queen had not the special taste for it which made it prominent as an amusement of the
aristocracy in the courts of Henry VIII and James I. But entertainments, during the queens
numerous progresses, were plentifully produced. The entertainment was the masque out-ofdoors, and consisted of some kind of welcoming device or function arranged for greeting the
queen on her arrival, or discovered afterwards, as she was conducted round gardens and
park. The entertainment had more dramatic possibilities in it than the masque, because it
depended less upon scenery, but the English climate kept it always short and slight. One, by Sir
Philip Sidney, of considerable merit, has survivedThe May Lady, 17 presented in May, 1578,
when the queen visited his uncle, the earl of Leicester, at Wanstead. Jonsons reverence for
Sidney makes it likely that he did not overlook Sidneys work when he composed the
entertainments which were the beginning of his masque work. But it seems more probable
thatThe May Lady guided Jonsons views on pastoral than that it influenced his conception of
masque, and it remains by itself as a short out-of-doors scene of pastoral comedy, not without
influence upon Shakespeares early comedy. The schoolmaster, master Rombus, is, obviously,
an ancestor of Holofernes, and the plays likeness to masque lies in its complementary
character. Some of Lylys plays, also, have affinities with the masque. They are elaborate
compliments; their ideas are not concerned with the real world of men and women; their
characters are mythological. 18 But perhaps their most important connection with the masque
is their influence upon Jonsons Cynthias Revels. 19 This play magnifies at all points Lylys
limited strength to such a degree that the reader may easily fail to notice its debt to Lyly. But its
connection with Jonsons masques is obvious. In Cynthias Revels, a great realist, the author
of Bartholomew Fayre, succeeds in making us understand how he came to write masques. We
see his mind becoming absorbed in the particular art and method of which the masque was an
expression.

But, before we pass to Jonsons masques, one Elizabethan play must be mentioned which
was neither a masque, nor a pastoral, nor a drama, but partook of the character of all three. It
is, perhaps, the most elaborate and beautiful entertainment extant, and the brilliance of its total
effect makes us regret that such a delightful type of renascence art did not receive fuller
development. Peeles Araygnement of Paris comes before the development of the masque, as
Miltons Comus comes after it, to suggest to us that in the method of the out-of-door
entertainment or pastoral there is inherent a truer breath of poetry than is to be found in that of
the indoor masque, in which scenary and carpentry and music and dance were always tending
to smother and suppress the poetical soul. 20
The Renaissance court masque, traditionally an entertainment of music, dancing, pageantry, and spectacular scenic
effects, was transformed by Ben Jonson into a serious mode of literary expression. By using its peculiar viability as a
forum for his dramatic imagination, Jonson resolved and transcended the satiric vision that was in many ways the
substance of Jonsonian drama. He instructed as well as applauded his courtly audience and, with the aid of the great
theatrical designer Inigo Jones, brought unity to the diverse elements of the masque, infusing them with a moral and
poetic life.

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A form of courtly entertainment that combined spoken poetry, songs,

dance, elaborate costumes and scenery, and direct addresses to the
audience (usually the King) into a highly symbolic, stylized pageant.
During the early part of the 17th century, at festive occasions like Christmas
celebrations, weddings, and the visits of foreign dignitaries. There was usually
only one performance.
only the rich and powerful usually at least one member of the royal family
(King James, Queen Anne, Prince Henry or Prince Charles), along with
members of the royal court and high-ranking visitors. The public were not
invited.
The text was written by a professional poet, hired for the job many by Ben
Jonson and read by professional actors, often from Shakespeares
company, The Kings Men. The songs were composed by a professional
composer and performed by professional singers and musicians. The scenery
and costumes were designed, usually, by the Kings architect, Inigo Jones. The
dances were often performed by members of the royal family Queen Anne
and Prince Henry, many times and their courtiers.
Most masques illustrated the greatness of the King and his court through
creating complicated allegories that referenced classical or literary figures
Roman gods and goddesses, figures from Arthurian legends, witches, animals,
fairies, etc. The words and movements of these figures usually created images
of harmony, beauty, moral goodness, order, and authority, all of which were
associated with the power of the King and his court.