We began with a brief sketch of the Puritans' status in England from the accession of Elizabeth I until the closing of the theaters in 1642. (See the chronology on the handout, available on e-learning.) The class then enumerated Stubbes's reasons for opposing the theater as outlined in The Anatomy of Abuses, and looked at an excerpt from William Prynne's antitheatrical tract Histriomastix as well as another passage from Stubbes on stage transvestism. We also briefly examined some theatrical language in Paradise Lost, looking forward to Milton's ambivalence on this matter.
Next we looked at a version of the stage Puritan in the earliest commercially successful American comedy, The Contrast by Royall Tyler, remarking on the character's inferior social status and gullibility. From there we moved to a discussion of Twelfth Night, after viewing scenes 1.5 and the end of 5.1 in the Trevor Nunn film. Our discussion focused on ways to integrate the Malvolio/Puritan plot into the play's larger themes.
Finally we began discussing Thomas Hooker's jeremiad on the state of England shortly before his departure for New England. We will continue talking about this sermon on Wednesday, so please review the text before class.
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