Roman Triumphs and Early Modern English Culture

This is the first comprehensive study of the revival and appropriation of the Roman triumph from the 1580s to the 1650s. English versions of the triumph included ceremonial re-enactments, poetic or pictorial representations, and stage performances. As well as many non-canonical writers, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Marvell, and Milton all produced versions. The book includes an original survey of ancient literary models and the work of humanist antiquarians, and shows how all its texts are implicated in contemporary political conflicts and discourses. "A Roman triumph was the procession of a victorious general through the city. The festivity combined religious thanksgiving, political legitimation, and carnival release. Early modern England, from the Armada period of the 1580s to the Cromwellian Protectorate in the 1650s, revived and appropriated the Roman model in a wide variety of forms. The result is a characteristic product of early modern culture." "English use of the triumph included ceremonies, stage performances, and poetic or pictorial representations. This book gives particular attention to the researches of humanist antiquarians, the vigorous tradition of pamphlet triumphs, and the literary or dramatic versions produced by Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Marvell and Milton, as well as by non-canonical writers. It discloses the ways in which all these texts are implicated in contemporary political conflicts and discourses. The book also discusses adaptations such as the subversive triumph of love, the paradoxical triumph of peace, and Christian triumphs of humility and patience."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-15 Roman Models....Pages 16-37 Humanist Transmission....Pages 38-61 Elizabethans and the Armada....Pages 62-82 Marlowe and Spenser....Pages 83-106 The Stuart Peace....Pages 107-127 Shakespeare and Stuart Drama....Pages 128-148 Civil War and Commonwealth....Pages 149-170 Marvell and Milton....Pages 171-189 Back Matter....Pages 190-223 Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Plates 7 Preface 8 1 Introduction 9 2 Roman Models 24 3. Humanist Transmission 46 4. Elizabethans and the Armada 70 5 Marlowe and Spenser 91 6 The Stuart Peace 115 7 Shakespeare and Stuart Drama 136 8 Civil War and Commonwealth 157 9 Marvell and Milton 179 Notes 198 Bibliography of Classical Texts 223 Index 225