1603 and the Discourse of Favouritism

Perry, Curtis

doi:10.1057/9780230501584_10

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…As Curtis Perry notes, Tarquin's rape of Lucrece was 'the paradigmatic act of royal tyranny and the founding myth of the Roman republic'. 82 Just as Tarquin's sexual tyranny led to his overthrow, so the play hints that Crispinus's tyrannous conduct will lead to his.…”

Section: Power and Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the play's opening act, Nero makes clear his belief in his divine election and in his absolute power, claiming that the 'disposeing of all things' in Rome was 'com  itted by y e Gods to me' (1.1. 81,82). Similarly, he argues that 'Kings must direct their sub ts , they obey / In duty … & in silent execution' (183-4), adding that For much the same reasons, Nero counsels subjects against questioning or criticizing their rulers, arguing that 'mortalls on earth may see y e spheres turn round / But not the hand y t moues them' (169-70) and that people should 'Admire, not censure greatnes' (180), not least because, in his view, 'Emperor s & kings are furnish<e>d / w th more discerning mentall faculties' than ordinary men (3.5.2006-7).…”

Section: Charles I Absolute Rule and The Rights Of The Subjectmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Staging Roman History, Stuart Politics, and the Duke of Buckingham: The Example of <i>The Emperor’s Favourite</i>

Keenan

2011

Early Theatre

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Court favourites and the dangerous effects of royal favouritism were popular subjects with Renaissance authors and they became newly topical in England following the 1603 accession of James I. Even before he became king of England, James Stuart was known for favouring young handsome courtiers, and it was not long before he began to display this taste within the English court. During the early part of his reign James's recognized favourite was Robert Carr, earl of Somerset (1585/6-1645), but a series of disputes with the king and Carr's trial for the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury in 1616 saw him lose his place as favourite to George Villiers (1592-1628), later duke of Buckingham. Like Somerset before him, Villiers was rewarded with multiple honours and came to exercise considerable power at court. His influence, however, was to prove more controversial and longer-lived, outlasting James's reign. Despite occasional friction between them during James's lifetime, Charles I and Buckingham became close allies, and Buckingham retained his position as influential court favourite up until the moment of his assassination on 23 August 1628. 1 Buckingham had his admirers and allies, but most contemporaries were anxious about his influence over the Stuart kings. Indeed, many came to believe that he was responsible for leading both James and Charles astray in the 1620s. Early Stuart literature reflects these concerns and the broader contemporary anxiety about the potential influence of royal favourites that Buckingham's career fostered. The 1620s and 1630s saw a series of publications about favouritism and infamous historical favourites such as Sejanus-including Pierre Matthieu's The Powerfull Favourite, Or, the Life of Aelius Sejanus in two translations (1628) and Giovanni Battista Manzini's Politicall Observations upon the Fall of Sejanus, translated by Sir Thomas Hawkins (1634)-and dealing with infamous English favourites-for example

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Section: Power and Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Charles I Absolute Rule and The Rights Of The Subjectmentioning

confidence: 99%