Illusions of Power: Theatre, Spectacle, and Self-Portrayal

Stephen Orgel's small but useful book Illusions of Power: Political Theater in the English Renaissance covers several topics that other people in class are working on. Of course, my essay on theater and politics is over, but wrapped up inside that topic is self-representation.

The first section, "Theaters and Audiences," discusses the political value of private theaters. For instance, James I apparently used seating arrangements in the audience of the theater to make political statements. Orgel cites that James would insult the Venetians by seating them further from the stage than the Spaniards (11). Orgel also discusses what we've often discussed in class - that a monarch goes to the theater primarily to be seen, and secondly to enjoy the play. Should anybody desire to cite this information, it's here with specific proof (complaints from the courtiers that the seating arrangement in Christ Church Hall was all wrong because they could not view the King. It's on page 16).

The main interesting thing about Orgel's argument, to me, is the discussion of visual vs. auditory theater. This seems like an odd distinction to make, at first - of course, theater is a combination of both the visual and the auditory. Yet, it is apparently something of debate as to which is the most prominent during the Renaissance - especially given that this is the time period when staging, costuming, etc. became much more elaborate. We've previously discussed the lavish sets and costumes that English monarchs would require of their court masques, and the ridiculous expenses this entailed.

And yet, Orgel notes that while action and setting are equally dramatic, "Renaissance characters regularly pause to describe in words the actions we see taking place" (26). There is a reason that the word audience comes from auditory/audio - there was the expectation that dialogue/sound/music were at the very least as important as the action happening on stage.

The other interesting section, for me, is "The Royal Spectacle." Orgel here deals with the Queen at theater-goer as well as participant. He argues for the extreme political importance of theater, as well as the popular knowledge of that importance. He cites one particular incident where a Puritan polemicist named Prynne (perhaps accidentally) implied that the Queen was a whore for her involvement and participation in theater and masques. In response, the attorney general sentenced Prynne to life imprisonment and cut off his ears. The court, apparently, thought this punishment fitting.

Here, the acknowledgment on the part of the court of the necessity of political theater is clear.

Orgel, Stephen. The Illusion of Power. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. Print.