Plays of persuasion: drama and politics at the court of Henry VIII (review)

Reviews 159 accomplishments which make 'a fitting epitaph ... to the Vitravio-Palladianism of the English-speaking world'. Alberti, too, appears more frequendy than is usual in books on Palladio, perhaps not surprisingly from an author responsible for the most recent translation of his Ten books on Architecture. A reflection of developments in the architectural history of the period since Wittkower is the thoroughness of the treatment of the historical context. O n one occasion this tempts the author to uncharacteristic speculation, when he suggests that the facades of Palladio's churches,firstanalysed in terms of superimposed temple fronts by Wittkower: 'may be taken as a visual conflation of the "house of man" and the "house of God": the lower pediment spans the breadth of the church occupied by man and his memorials, while the other, more "heavenly" pediment appears to thrust upwards on tall elegant columns. Did Palladio intend this combination of motifs to be read as a symbol of the reconciliation between man and the supreme authority of God which the Council of Trent also sought to achieve?' (pp. 62-63). While the section on Palladio lies at the core of the book, the Vitruvian and theoretical themes (especially proportion) enable the sections on English and American Palladianism to avoid being merely extended chapters on 'Palladio's influence'. Movements are judged according to whether they sustain the high theoretical position. The chapter on later English Palladianism is entided 'From Vitruvian integrity to Patiadian fashion', while Italian Neo-Palladianism of the early eighteenth century is dismissed in a few lines for its lack of secure inteUectual foundations other than a reaction to the excesses of the Baroque. This elegandy written and deftly structured book makes an excellent introduction to its subject. The illustrations, although small and in black and white, are well chosen and have an excellent tonal range. David Marshall Department of Fine Arts University of Melbourne Walker, Greg, Plays of persuasion: drama and politics at the court of Henry VIII, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1991; cloth; pp. xii, 244; R.R.P. AUS$99.00. The recent refocussing of the history of Tudor politics on the critical role of the court in the government of the realm and on the symbolic function of court magnificence in policy management has revived interest in the relationship between drama and politics. Without derogating from its literary value, the task of establishing the specific political context of individual works has regained legitimacy. It is a delicate task, for it opens the author to criticism from two directions at once. Moreover, in most cases the historical evidence is at best 160 Reviews ambiguous. The patchily abundant Revels records do not provide anything like complete lists of titles for works presented at Court. Maintaining a band of players was not a royal prerogative. Quite minor lords might do so, although Dr Walker's list of men of 'lesser importance' in the early Tudor court reads (to this administrative historian at least) more like one of key administrative figures. The general point that plays were undoubtedly written for performance by many different troupes in different venues is, however, well taken. Dr Walker has been studying the relationship between writers who aspired to a role at court and politics for some time. After a book on Skelton and several articles, he has turned to a wider study of 'court drama' and politics under Henry VIII. He claims to define court drama narrowly, but is wiUing to assign only one of thefiveplays studied, the relatively uninteresting Play of the Weather by John Heywood, to a performance at the Royal court. The likelihood that Henry saw or knew of the others, remains problematic in Walker's eyes. They are attributed to venues 'on the fringe' of the court: Hickscorner to the Southwark household of Charles Brandon early in 1515 the moment at which he was created Duke of Suffolk; Magnyfycence to an unnamed London livery company in 1519; Godly Queen Hester to an abbot's hall, possibly Westminster in 1529; and King John with some confidence to Cranmer's household at Christmas 1538. This partially prevents him from developing a convincing argument about the limits to frankness and...