by The Laird o’Thistle
December 20 2009
Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes
Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long.
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad,
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy takes nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.
– from Hamlet, Act I, Scene I
It’s a somewhat odd introduction to a scene featuring the visitation of a royal ghost, but the words certainly set up a good entre’ to a bit of royal history surrounding the Christmas holiday, and William Shakespeare’s enduring “power to charm.” The media of every age seem to have had to deal with planning for their Christmas presentations, whether Queen Elizabeth II’s professionally produced Christmas messages, or Dickens writing out his “Christmas Carol” early in Victoria’s reign, or the Bard of Avon thinking ahead to his holiday repertoire for the Elizbeth I and King James. One of my favorite movies in recent years has been the delightful Shakespeare in Love which is both a lovely tale of fiction and a great portrayal of many actual elements of the late Elizabethan era. At the very end of the movie Elizabeth I – played by the incomparable Dame Judi Dench — asks “Will” for a new comedy to be played at court… “Something for twelfth night.”
Alas, the first record of the play Twelfth Night has it being performed not before the Queen, but at the Inns of Court on Candlemas (February 2), 1602… though some believe it may have been performed previously at court, perhaps on January 6 of 1601. At least the line points up the fact that unlike today, when the current Queen quietly pops onto the commuter train heading off to Sandringham for the season, Christmas Court used to be a very grand affair in Britain with current crops of top actors and plays being featured as part of the holiday revels along with the music, dances, and roasted peacocks. And what is clear from the records is that the royal Christmases of Elizabeth I and her successor James often featured the works (and occasional performances) of one William “Shaxberd” …as he is named in the 1603 record of the Master of the Revels.
Unfortunately, in Elizabeth’s days the names of the plays performed before the Queen were rarely noted down. The name of Shakespeare’s company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, appears for the Christmas season of 1594 (two performances), and again in 1597. It is known, from the first published edition of the play, that Love’s Labour’s Lost was performed for Elizabeth at Christmas 1597. Other Shakespeare plays done for the Queen at various seasons include The Merry Wives of Windsor which is believed to have been first performed for a Garter Day celebration in 1599.
The Yuletide performances were usually staged in the Banqueting House at Whitehall, or other venues at Hampton Court, Greenwich, Richmond, or Windsor. They are said to have occurred after supper, between around 10 pm and 1 am. As portrayed in Shakespeare in Love, the Queen sat in “state” enthroned in a prominent position directly in front of the stage and clearly visible to the rest of the audience. There is even a tale of her coming onto the stage during a Shakespeare play and dropping a glove before him, which the bard received as a favor. She continued seeing plays, including a performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream on Candlemas of 1603, right up to the final weeks of her life.
After Elizabeth’s death (March 1603) the new king James made Shakespeare’s troupe his official company, The King’s Men. And in the ensuing years, some seventeen of the bard’s plays were performed before the King. During that first Christmas season, A Play of Robin Goodfellow (i.e., A Midsummer Night’s Dream) was performed on New Year’s Day. The next year Measure for Measure was performed on Boxing Day (December 26). In 1606 the first recorded performance of King Lear also occurred on Boxing Day. Old favorites from Elizabeth’s era were also revived for the new court. Even after Shakespeare’s death in 1616, his plays continued to be part of the holiday tradition at James’ court. Twelfth Night was featured in both 1618 and 1623, and in 1619 Hamlet and several others of his plays were included.
Nowadays the Christmas season is quite different for royals and commoners alike, more private and less spectacular during the twelve days themselves. Most of the artistic efforts now come prior to the holidays, some still with glittering audiences graced by a royal presence. (Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, I found the photos of the Queen greeting “Lady Gaga” at the recent Royal Variety Performance a real hoot!) Post-Christmas revelry is now more likely to feature gathering at the TV for the premiere of the new season of Dr. Who, or newly released movies slipped into the DVD player by the family fireside. Thankfully the current royals have maintained something of an interest in the theater, and in Shakespeare. As a girl, Princess Elizabeth and her sister were great fans of the old Christmas pantomimes, and even performed in several at Windsor during the war. The Queen is noted for occasionally slipping into the audience for West End Productions, to the astonishment of surrounding seatmates. And, during her reign, the second Queen Elizabeth has been pleased to make the Shakespeare Company “Royal.” Prince Charles also takes an active interest, not just in the theatre but in Shakespeare, and has been a friend over the years to Kenneth Branagh among others. Then there are those old photos of Prince Edward in a variety of Shakespearean plays back in his student days…. Who knows, Prince William may even have an affinity for at least the title of a classic musical based on a certain play. That musical being called, Kiss Me Kate! (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)
Yours aye,
Ken Cuthbertson