George Washington University

Tamburlaine's Malady and Other Essays on Astrology in Elizabethan Drama. by Johnstone

Parr
Review by: John W. Draper
Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Autumn, 1954), pp. 421-422
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2866034 .
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 REVIEWS 421

The appendices includeexcerpts fromtwo memorable reviewsbyH. T.

Parkerin The BostonEveningTranscript anda curiouslistof"playsperformed
duringthe festivals,i879-i952."This is not withoutits surprises.Seasonby
season,As You LikeIt is theplay most regularlygiven,with The Merchant of
Veniceand Hamletcloselyfollowing. The MerryWivesof Windsorand The
TamingoftheShrewarebothamongthefirst seven.HenrytheFourth:Part
Two has beenacteda gooddealmorefrequently thanHenrytheFourth:Part
One. The ThirdPartofKing Henry the Sixth,which has provedexciting at
Birmingham and London in recentyears, has onlybeen given as partof a
in i9o6. And whatis perhapsnotsurprising,
singlefestival, TitusAndronicus
is theoneplaynottohavebeengivenatall.
BrynMawrCollege ARTHUR COLBY SPRAGUE

in ElizabethanDrama.By JOHNSTONE
Maladyand OtherEssayson Astrology
Tamburlaine's
PARR. Universityof Alabama Press, I953. Pp. Xvi + I58. $3.50.

As his ample documentationand bibliographysuggest,ProfessorParr

would seemto have delvedmoredeeplyintothearcanaof Elizabethanastrology
thananyotherof theseveralscholarsin thishighlytechnicalfield;but he seems
to take too great pains to avoid relatedRenaissancesciences;' and one also
regretsthat his applicationsof this knowledgeto Elizabethandrama,though
on the whole sound and significant, are somewhatfragmentary. In fact,the
volume,though divided into twelve "chapters,"is simplya seriesof discon-
nectednotesand articles,mostof whichhave recentlyappearedin the learned
journals.One hopes that ProfessorParr has in preparationa full treatiseon
astrologyin Elizabethandrama,with due consideration of associatedsciences.
The book discussescharactersor situationsin Marlowe'sTamburlaineand
Dr. Faustus,in Lyly'sWomanin theMoone,in Greene'sJamestheFourthand
in Shakespeare'sKing Lear, and shortpassages in Chapman, Webster,and
Jonson.There is also a verygeneralsurveyof astrologyin Shakespeare.Parr's
studyof the astrologicalcauses of Tamburlaine'sdeath correctsthe mistake
of some earlierscholarswho took calor to mean choler;but despitethis slip,
theyare clearlyrightin ascribingtheconquerer'sdissolutionto extremecholeric
humor.Parrshowsthattheultimatecause was astrological;buthis predecessors
are rightin findingthe immediatecause to be humoral; for,as he himself
shows in his discussionof Lyly (p. 39), the starssometimesoperatedthrough
theirpowerover bodilyfluids.Thus the finalconclusionis supplementedand
correctedbuthardlychanged.
The studyof "Shakespeare'sArtisticUse of Astrology", thoughit surveys
many shortreferences in the plays,does not quite live up to its title; and,
indeed,that would have requireda considerationof astrologyin relationto
the humors,with a much fullertreatmentof individualplays,and also of
formerwork on both these subjects-much more detailed than the sketchy
reviewin footnote8o.2 Indeed, in an essay with so generala title,the short
papersthatfollowon King Lear-along withsimilarmaterialson a numberof
other plays-might well have been included.Whoever writesthe definitive
1 ProfessorParr, however,admits the close relationshipbetween the astrologicaland the
humoralin governingmen'slives,e.g. pp. 39-40 and 48.
2 His summaryof Darby's "Astrology on King Lear" seems hardlyadequate. Doubtlessthe
in Othello"(The Othelloof Shakespeare's
"Astrology
reviewer's
present Paris,1952,
Audience,
AppendixA) cameout too late to be included.

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422 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY

workon astrology
in Shakespeare,
however,
canhardlyneglect
Professor
Parr's
contribution.
West VirginiaUniversity JOHN W. DRAPER

SixteenSonnetsof WilliamShakespeare, 33 I/3 LP record.Read by DAVID ALLEN. New

York: PoetryRecords.Music in the Elizabethanstylecomposedby CURTIS BIEVER and
playedon theharpbyMARGARET ROSS.
This album makes no contribution to recordedversionsof Shakespeare's
works,for the sonnetsare read by David Allen in a lullingmonotonewhich
smothersthe meaningand the musicof thelines.Mr. Allen does not evencon-
vey clarity,
forhe stopsat the ends of linesthatcarryoverthethought,and at
timesswallowsimportantsyllablesor wordsat the end of the line,like "fire"
in sonnet73 ("That timeof yearthou may'stin me behold").
For thoseconsidering thealbumforclassroomuse,it shouldbe pointedout
that the readingsare not sufficientlyclear as far as contextis concerned.In
sonnet 15 ("When I considereverything that grows"), the readerin line 9
("Then the conceitof this inconstantstay") stressesthe word "conceit"and
conveysan impressionof itscontemporary meaning.In I30 ("My mistress'eyes
are nothinglike the sun"), his interpretationrealizesnone of the humor,but
has thesolemnity of a sermon.
A comparisonto the readingsof selectedsonnetsby Sir JohnGielgud
(Decca, 33 I/3 LP) revealsthat therecan be beautyand drama in a vocal
presentation of theseworks.WhereasMr. Allen lacks variationand music in
his readingof sonnet73,Sir Johnbringsdramatictimingto thefirsttwo words,
to whichhe givesan impressionof hesitanceand reluctance, and he bringsout
the full musicalvalues of the vowelsin such wordsas "choirs,""sang,""day"
and "cold."
Hunter College ALICE GRIFFIN

By MARCHETTE
Ben lonsonof Westminster. CHUTE. New York: E. P. Duttonand Co., I953.
Pp. 380. $5.00.
In MarchetteChute's Shakespeareof London Ben Jonson,chieflydrawn
fromthe-Drummond Conversations, was primarilya foil to Shakespeare.In
Ben Jonsonof Westminster he is a full-scalefiguredrawnfromwide reading
of his worksand thoroughinvestigation of historicalsources.The once wide-
spreadtendencyto blackenJonsonforthe greatergloryof Shakespeareis fast
dyingor dead,and mostpresent-day Shakespearians will appreciateMiss Chute's
sympathetictreatment of Jonson.
As in herearlierbiographies,Miss Chuteconstructs a soundbackgroundof
old England,particularly London. Againstthisbackgroundshe tracesJonson's
whole career,beginningwith his days at Westminster School under William
Camden. Jonson'snumerousfriendsand enemiescrowdthe book; of his most
notablefriendMiss Chute says: ". . . There was nothingin all Jonson'scareer
thatdoes him morehonorthan the honorhe was willingto do Shakespeare."
The long,acrimoniousstrugglewithInigo Jonesis not allowed to obscurethe
masques,which are vividlydescribedwith all theirsplendorand turbulence.
With criticalcomments,frequentlyunorthodox,Miss Chute keeps Jonson's
literaryand dramaticcareerprominentas well as his colorfulpersonallife.Her
finalchaptercontainsa worthyepitaphfortheold poet: "At theend of his life,
as at thebeginning,he kepthis faceturnedtowardsthegreatworldof books."

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