Charles+Hart,+Actor+behind+Horner

Charles Hart: Restoration Actor

Restoration comedies were extremely prevalent in London Theater during the mid 17th century. When King Charles II came into power, he allowed for the reestablishment of theater performances and especially favored witty comedies. As interest grew in London society with “colloquial, informal humor of bantering characters”, restoration comedies became extremely po pular (Routledge Anthology). For instance, William Wycherley’s // The Country Wife, // an amusing, lewd, yet critical play thrived during the Restoration time period. // The Country Wife // produced such a large response, mostly as a result of dynamic characters and their portrayals on stage. For instance, the character of Horner was so notable because of Charles Hart, the legendary 17th Century actor. Hart performed as Horner in the play’s very first show in 1675 at Drury Lane Theater (Routledge Anthology). This paper is an introduction to Charles Hart’s life and a discussion of his acting career.
 * Introduction **

 Charles Hart centered his life on acting, specifically at the King’s Theater. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by David Kathman provides a detailed account of Hart’s involvement with the theater. During his teen years, Hart became an apprentice actor to the King’s men, an all male acting company. However, in 1642 during the English Civil War, theaters throughout England were forced to close. Hart therefore fled with a group of English male actors to perform in other cosmopolitan cities such as Prague and Paris. Several years later in 1660, Hart returned to London to embrace the theater’s reappearance. In fact, he actively participated in the revival of it. Hart contributed one eighteenth of a share to establish the King’s Company Theater, under the supervision of Thomas Killigrew. It was this theater that housed numerous of the well-known Restoration comedies, including //The Country Wife//. Charles Hart, both a co-owner and actor of the King’s Company, enjoyed a successful and respected career there. Other of his notable roles included Marc Anthony in //All For Nothing,// Brutus in //Julius Caesar,// and the lead role in //Aurange-zebe// (Routledge Anthology). Although the King’s Company endured years of success, the Duke’s Company, a competing theater house began to draw more attention. The Duke’s Company appealed to a newer generation of theatre attendees and premiered younger actors. Interestingly, Charles Hart sold his stock in the King’s Company and played an integral role of merging the two houses (Kathman 1, 2, 3). Perhaps Hart valued the continuation of prosperous theater performances in England over his own monetary success. Regardless of his motives, Hart stayed involved with Restoration Theater until his death in August of 1683. When discussing the Restoration Drama of the 17th century, Charles Hart plays a staple role.
 * Life in Theater **

 Charles Hart’s personal life, outside of the theater, was hardly mentioned in research documents. Hart never married, but had well-known affairs with Nell Gwyn and Barbara Palmer (Kathman 2). Gwyn herself was a famous Restoration actress, and starred in several plays alongside Hart. Although she came from poor and unknown origins, she gained prominence by serving as a mistress to King Charles II (Routledge Anthology). After Hart’s affair with Gwyn ended he became involved with Barbara Palmer, also known as “Countless of Castlemaine” (Kathman 2). Interestingly, Palmer also was a mistress of Charles II. Eventually, Hart’s passionate affair with Palmer ended and he died wifeless. It is interesting to suggest a parallel between Hart’s love live and that of Horner’s, the character he plays in //The Country Wife//. While Hart’s reason for not marrying remains unanswered, he clearly did not view marriage as necessary to his success. Likewise, Horner purposefully sleeps with many women to avoid settling down with just one, as all London women in his mind are corrupt. Also, Hart’s choice of women, both considered “elite” in London society, parallels Horner’s decision to pursue married and privileged women. This similarity possibly helped Hart played the role of Horner. As discussed later in this paper, reviews on Charles Hart often describe him as immersing himself in character.
 * Personal Life **

 Charles Hart’s lasting impact is evident through primary documents of the time period. An anonymous 1683 elegy titled, “On that Worthy and Famous Actor Mr. Charles Hart”, extols him for being not only a brilliant actor but also a very respectable man. The elegy paints Hart in a favorable light, not letting any “detracting tongue dare wound his fame” (Elegy). Furthermore, this elegy highlights Hart’s popularity in London society considering that he “n’er made Exit without Applause” (Elegy). The theater crowds’ adored Hart’s presence on the stage. As evidenced in other research and primary documents, Charles Hart was actively sought out to play roles in new plays. In addition to the anonymous elegy, Hart is also cited in Richard Flecknoe’s book of epigrams. Richard Flecknoe, a seventeenth century English dramatist, dedicates an entire page addressed to Hart himself titled “The Praises of Burbadge or to an Excellent Actor”. The epigram, just like the elegy, strongly compliments Hart for his talent on the stage. Flecknoe asserts that Hart was able “to fit his speech and action to his part” insinuating his ability to immerse himself in character (Flecknoe 46). This was common with Restoration actors, as many dedicated themselves to their roles (Miyoshi 138). Also, many times actors would play the same type of role, which allowed them to master that persona. Hart “specialized in portraying prince and kings” and other esteemed characters (Miyoshi 138). In //The Country Wife,// Hart does not play a king however Horner is clearly an affluent member of London society. Furthermore, Flecknoe begins to answer the question of why Hart exceled on stage. He calls Hart “an Excellent Orator [who] had all in voice and gesture which we charming call” (Flecknoe 46). A flawless combination of his strong voice and movements enhanced his role and charmed the audience.
 * Elegies and Epigrams **

 Charles Hart’s acting career not only generated discussion in the Restoration Era but also in contemporary scholarly research. The 2014 book, //The Lively Arts of the London Stage 1675-1725// contains a section about Hart’s success in the Restoration Theater. As noted in the primary documents above, audience members spotted Hart’s ability to //become// his character. Professor Lowerre elaborates on Hart’s skill as becoming a captivating character. She first mentions Charles Hart’s role in //Almanzor and Almahide,// a play in which he appeared alongside Nell Gwyn. In this dramatic epic, Hart played a warrior who falls in love with a woman he cannot have. As seen in this play, as well as in others, Hart had a certain “emotion instrument” … “that wanted to be loved or pitied, but not hated” (Lowerre 194). Furthermore, as Lowerre notes, Hart could easily “make for a compelling subject” (Lowerre 194). It comes as no surprise that Charles Hart was chosen to play several roles at the King’s Theater. Regardless of the role assigned to him, Hart utilized emotions to execute his character’s role.  Although commonly overlooked, “the linking of verse and vocal music as modes of elevating the drama remained an important element of Restoration dramatic theory” (Winn). The actors by no means sung their lines, however they did incorporate aspects of music to enhance their spoken lines. Such aspects, as noted by author Winn, include tempo, pitch, and skill with reciting rhymes. Charles Hart was known for his ability to utilize aspects of music when speaking, making his lines resonate with the audience. Winn asserts that Hart’s “skill in the recitation of rhymed verse involved elements of the singer’s craft (Winn). Hart’s talents during the 17th century did not remain unnoticed. In fact, John Dryden in his Restoration play, //Aureng-zebe//, specifically wrote a passage intended for Charles Hart’s voice (Winn). The passage itself, filled with alliteration, assonance, and rhyme, needed a speaker to highlight those poetic devices. Hart, according to Dryden, had the ability to “reach the hearers enfolded in the seductive strains of music” (Winn). This scholarly article introduces another element of Charles Hart’s prosperous acting career.
 * Contemporary Discussions of Hart **

As mentioned several times above, Charles Hart was known for his role as Horner in Wycherley’s //The Country Wife//. This play produced a large amount of responses both because of its humor and promiscuity. Essentially, the entire plot is centered on Horner’s sex plot to prove that London elite women have no morals. The play attracted a large audience; in fact Charles II saw it three times and participated in one of the play’s dances (Stern). Although //The Country Wife// peaked at the King’s Theatre, not every critic praised the performance. Not all audience members viewed the crude and sexual behaviors as amusing. David Garrick, an 18th century actor and playwright, criticized the play for its use of degrading language. He called //The Country Wife// “the most licentious play in the English language” (Stern). While he clearly criticizes the play, nevertheless his critique proves that Wycherley succeeded in his attempt. Like many Restoration plays, //The Country Wife// questions society as a whole and uses libertine characters to do so. Wycherley disregards the accepted standard of language to execute Horner’s belief: the female elite way of life is simply a mask for corrupted values. Garrick’s negative response is interesting to note in the overall celebration of the play. Even today, //The Country Wife// is “heralded as a Restoration masterpiece” (Stern).
 * Review of The Country Wife **

Considering the overwhelming praise for Charles Hart and the comments on his crowded performances, he clearly had genuine talent. In the London Stage 1660-1800, the introduction section praises Hart for his roles in “kingly or heroic roles” as those were known to be his best (Van Lennep). Whenever Hart was recognized to be playing one of his finest characters, the theatre was packed as if the play was new (Van Lennep). Charles Hart captivated the stage with his presence.  Any visuals of Hart’s performances are left with those who saw him first-hand. However, with the information provided on him and his career, one could imagine how he may have acted. The following is a speculation based on my research. Charles Hart never went unnoticed on stage because of his loud and distinguishable voice. As Winn mentioned in his scholarly article, Hart had a unique ability to do more than just speak his lines. Rather, using voice variance, differentiated tones, and raises in volume Hart almost sung his lyrics to the packed London audience. Even when not playing a main character, Hart completely involved himself in his character’s role. His performances resonated with both the common man as well as elite, even Charles II. Therefore, Hart undoubtedly practiced a number of appeals to emotion, including pity, wit, and humor. Hart’s life, as mentioned above, centered on the theater. Without having a wife or children to attend to, he was able to master his one love, acting. He dedicated a considerable amount of time to each play and each character in order to successfully take on his role. Charles Hart, a dedicated and brilliant Restoration actor, deserves great recognition. Although our perceptions of his acting career are left up to primary documents and scholarly research, it is evident that he played a significant role in the Theatre industry. It seems that he often surpassed the expectations of playwrights, and portrayed the characters far better than they imagined.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Imagine how performer may have acted **

Works Cited

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">“An Elegy on That Worthy and Famous Actor, Mr. Charles Hart: Who Departed This Life Thursday, August the 18th, 1683.” London: Printed by Nath. Thomp..., 1683. Web.

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Flecknoe, Richard. “Euterpe Revived, or, Epigrams Made at Several Times in the Years 1672, 1673, & 1674 on Persons of the Greatest Honour and Quality : Most of Them Now Living : In III Books. London: Are to be sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster”, 1675. Web.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Lowerre, Kathryn. //The lively arts of the London stage, 1675–1725//. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2014.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Miyoshi, Riki. "Samuel Sandford and Colley Cibber: two players' acting techniques and the rise and fall of restoration villain tragedy on the London stage from the 1670s to the 1730s." //Theatre Notebook// 68.3 (2014): 136-152.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Straub, Kristina, Misty G. Anderson, and Daniel O'Quinn, eds. //The Routledge Anthology of Restoration and Eighteenth-century Drama//. Taylor & Francis, 2017.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Van Lennep, William, et al., eds. //London Stage, 1660-1800//. SIU Press, 1968.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Winn, James Anderson. "Heroic Song: A Proposal for a Revised History of English Theater and Opera, 1656-1711." //Eighteenth-Century Studies// 30.2 (1996): 113-137.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;;">Wycherley, William. "The Country Wife, edited by James Ogden opening by Tiffany Stern" (1991).