Shakespeare: The Two Noble Kinsmen (TNK-26)

At least half this play is the work of John Fletcher and has not until recently been considered as part of the Shakespeare canon (Stanley Wells The Cambridge Companion Shakespeare studies, 2^nd ed. 2005 and OS22 provide a convenient attribution list, scene by scene). William Montgomery and Stanley Wells include the play in The Complete works of W. S. 2^nd ed., OUP 2005, pp. 1279-1310. Introductions and Appendices as well as the Notes to particular passages are given in AS³ (ed. by Lois Potter 1997) and in OS (ed. Eugene M. Waith 1989). Note especially AS App. 5 pp. 356-9 ‘The *morris dance in TNK’ and App. 6 ‘The Music’ is concerned with the songs, pp 360-3 and OS 215-7 App. A ‘The Morris dance in Act 3 scene 5’ which indicate that the dance performed in the play is borrowed from the second antimasque of Beaumont’s ‘Masque of the Inner Temple and Gray’s Inn’ performed before James I on 20^th February 1613 (see SA p. 613) which may also possibly have been the source for the song snatches sung by the Jailer’s Daughter. This Masque may have been composed for the *Wedding of Princess Elizabeth to the Elector Palatine, Prince Frederick of Heidelberg in 1613 for which Robert JOHNSON would probably have provided dances, later published in Brade’s 1617 collection in arrangements as consorts à 5 (BN). Lois Potter notes the brazen din in Acts I and IV. The music is treated in NV 7^th ed. (1898) 1926, pp. 387-9.

An article by Julian Pilling ‘The wild morisco or the historical morris’ (English Dance and Song 1984, 26-9) describes the main dance formation in the play as appearing to be ‘a movement in a circle, with dancers weaving in and out, perhaps criss-crossing ribbons round a maypole, in the shape of a wreath’ (AS108). It might be of interest to note that in the fifteen British and seven American performances of the play between 1928 and 1987 as noted in SQ, four British presentations in the ’70s omitted the morris.

See also B. Olson. The morris dance in drama before 1640. Quarterly Journal of the University of North Dakota, ix (190) 422-35, and ‘The performance of the May Morris’ in the Skeat edition of the play (1875) p. 131-2. See also Charles Frey Shakespeare, Fletcher and The Two Noble Kinsmen. Columbia University of Missouri press, 1989. Philip Edwards ‘On the design of TNK ‘ in Review of English literature V (1964) pp. 89-105.

The Child ballads are to be found in H. C. Sargent and G. L. Kittredge. English and Scottish popular ballads, edited from the Collection of F.J. Child. Boston & New York, 1904. The Boy, The Jailer’s daughter and The Schoolmaster need competence in singing.

It has been noted that the New Globe production in 2000 ‘has gone further to date in the integration of acting and music’ (SM12) and that the 1994 Oregon Shakespeare Festival production included a remarkably authentic morris dance complete with hobby horse (AS³ 87). Cutts indicates the need for cornett, horn, pipe or recorder, viol and violin.