Hester+Davenport


 * __HESTER DAVENPORT __**

Hester Davenport was an English Restoration drama actress who was best known for her humorous and comedic acting. She was mostly well-known for the part of Roxalana in William Davenant’s play, //Siege of Rhodes//, which is the first play we read in this class, and the first play that premiered after the legalization of theater. Davenport also appeared in several other plays that allowed her to use her comedic skills and quickly catalyze the beginnings of a successful acting career. She is believed to have been born on March 2nd or 23rd, 1641 or March 23rd, 1642, although scholars are not entirely sure, and she passed away in 1717. She is one of the first actresses to have performed on the English stage after the reentry of drama into popular English culture. During the years 1661 and 1662, Hester Davenport acted exclusively in Sir William Davenant and Dame Mary Davenant’s plays alongside other actors and actresses handpicked by the Davenant’s to be part of the Duke’s Company which was formed in 1660. It is important to note that there were three other actresses in the company bearing the same last name as her, and she should not be confused with them. Davenport’s career in drama was short-lived as she only acted for 2 years before hesitantly leaving the stage to marry the twentieth Earl of Oxford, Aubrey de Vere.
 * __General Introduction to Hester Davenport, or Countess of Oxford, or Mrs. Peter Hoet __**

Hester Davenport’s role as Roxalana in Part II of //Siege of Rhodes// did not go unnoticed by anyone, especially the Earl of Oxford, Aubrey de Vere. In fact, the Earl of Oxford would make sure to let Hester Davenport know that he absolutely admired her for her perfect acting skills, her grace, and her beauty. His admiration grew so deep and aggressive, he would rob her of her promising acting career. It started out with her being showered in gifts and compliments from Lord Oxford. However, Hester Davenport, according to Miss Hobart’s //Memoirs//, was “full of virtue, prudence, or, if you like it better, obstinacy,” making her more than happy to refuse Lord Oxford’s requests for her company and love. Lord Oxford did not take this refusal well, and proceeded to continuously insult her. He induced her into marrying him, bringing a supposed minister and witness to seal the marriage, which Hester agreed to. Unfortunately, it turned out that the marriage was not real because the minister and witness were actually a trumpeter and kettle-drummer in the Earl’s Lordship.  However, Hester stayed with the Earl of Oxford and gave birth to her son on April 17th, 1664. Later on, the Earl of Oxford entered into a real marriage with Diana Kirke on April 12th, 1673, and passed away on March 12th, 1703. Hester’s son passed away and was buried on June 4th, 1708. It was truly a tragedy for Hester Davenport. Hester remarried (this time it was real) to a man named Peter Hoet. She remarried on July 25th, 1703, shortly after the death of Aubrey de Vere and before the death of her son. She insisted on renaming herself as “Dame Hester, Countess of Dowager of Oxford,” and so she was called that. She tragically had to face the death of her second husband who was buried on May 8th, 1717. Thereafter, she did not have much family besides a sister, named Anne Walker, whom she did not seem to have a close relationship with. Just before her death, she signed a will that left a shilling to her sister, and the rest of her estate was to go to her close friends, John Hardy and Dorcas Magenis. She was buried at St. Anne, Westminster on November 20th, 1717. Although Hester is best known for her role as Roxalana in //Siege of Rhodes,// she also starred in various other Davenant shows that catapulted the beginnings of her promising acting career. The first play she is believed to have acted in is Davenant’s //The Bondman//, which premiered in March 1661 in Salisbury Court. The Duke Company’s performance of the play had raving reviews from Samuel Pepys, who described it as “an excellent play and well done” and continued to frequent more shows of //The Bondman//. Thereafter, she was cast as Roxalana in //Siege of Rhodes// in June of 1661, and became a favorite amongst some audiences. The acclaim she earned came at a price. It was common for theater managers to pit actresses against each other to create a rivalry in the hopes of economic gain. The competition between actresses for pivotal roles in plays was extremely fierce, and, knowing this, theater managers from different companies would stage the same play at the same time as each other and cast their best actresses. Not only would this result in high turnout, but actresses would be inclined to give their best performances.  In the case of Samuel Pepys’ opinion after Hester left the stage in 1662, the actress who replaced her, Ruth Norton, surpassed her performance in terms of “person, voice, and judgment.” In another instance where he saw the //Siege of// Rhodes played by another unnamed actress, the loss of Hester only led to a disappointing performance from her replacement. The comparisons between actresses were inevitable at this time. Despite Hester’s raving reviews, she was no exception to scrutiny in the competitive world of Restoration drama.  Although the role of Roxalana made Hester the actress she came to be, Hester continued to play other roles in Davenant’s play. Before the end of her career, Hester played Ample in //The Witts//, Gertrude in //Hamlet//, and Evandra in //Love and Honour//.  In a response to the play “//William Davenant, The Siege of Rhodes//: A Critical Edition” by Ann-Mari Hedbäck by James Leach of Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Leach argues that //The Siege of Rhodes’// importance does not stem from its theatrical mastery, but from its timing and place in English drama history. The popularity of //The Siege of Rhodes// is attributed to it being the first play performed after drama was back on the English theater scene, with one of two theater patents being granted to the influential William Davenant. English audiences were sure to see any play from such a significant English figure. While the play sparked the trend of a “rhymed heroic drama” in the 1660’s and 1670’s, it’s time on the stage was short-lived. Between the years 1677 and 1909, //The Siege of Rhodes// was not performed on the stage, and even now in 2018 one would have a hard time finding a performance of the play in any theater, even in London. Leach argues that if one does a close reading of the play, they will find that “the verse is pedestrial and banal, wit is confined to a few comic scenes in the first part, and the theatrical appeal seems to be limited to the opportunities for spectacular costumes and sets.” Leach is critical about the substance of the play, pointing out that while Hedbäck’s updated critical edition of the play includes a thorough amount of research on seventeenth-century England and Turkey, it is buried in history to the point that it takes away from the play. Furthermore, Leach believes the main themes in the play such as “pursuit of honor,” “futility of war,” and “appeal to reason” have not been given a unique or significant dramatic form in the play.  While looking at a review of //The Siege of Rhodes// (even if recent) is important, it is also important to look at reviews of other plays Hester starred in. Hester acted as Evandra in //Love and Honour// by William Davenant. According to an account and review by John Downes, the play was extremely aesthetically pleasing. The King, who loved to attend the plays, lent his Coronation Suit to one of Mr. Davenant’s most prized actors, Mr. Betterton, to play the character Alvaro. The Duke of York gave his Coronation Suit to Mr. Harris to play the character Alphonso. The Lord of Oxford lent his Coronation Suit to Mr. Joseph Price to play the character Lionel. As a result of the very royal looks of the actors and actresses, the production turned out to be a great success. It made the company a large amount of money and great esteem from the town.  The editor’s notes in the book “Love and Honour: And the Siege of Rhodes,” edited by James W. Tupper, look at some of the frameworks Davenant uses to make //Love and Honour// the great play that it was. The editor notes that Davenant “resorted to extravagances in plot construction, characterization, and diction. He puts his characters into situations that called for a great display of noble qualities; he made them personifications of generous emotions; he heightened speech into inflated rhetoric, and distinguished the conflict of love and honor as a dramatic motive.” In acting as Evandra, Hester was definitely put into a role that required her to act torn, passionate, and noble. The multiple suitors Evandra had in the play required an onslaught of nobility and emotion that she possessed.  Based on the diaries entries and reviews of plays Hester Davenport starred in, I imagine Hester was not shy or short of passion in her portrayals of various characters. She was able to play characters that were comedic and characters that were more serious. In regard to our ENGL 452 class, we would’ve seen Hester Davenport play a character in //Siege of Rhodes// which was a tragic-comedy. While Ianthe is one of the heroic figures in the play, we discussed in class how she is forced by the Sultan to spend time with her foil, Roxalana. This would be the perfect time for Hester to passionately act out the resentment she has toward her husband, the Sultan, as she does not approve the favors he has for Ianthe. To conjure up such passion, I imagine Hester Davenport used the insults and impoliteness from the Earl of Oxford to fuel her performances. Hester Davenport, after all, was very proud to be rejecting a man of such status and appearance. She was proud to be successful, admired, and independent, and was not eager to let that lifestyle go. Thus, to kindle in her a passionately resentful Roxalana, Hester Davenport would channel the Earl of Oxford’s constantly unwelcomed and bad energy and make it into something of her own. However, toward the end of the //Siege of Rhodes//, Roxalana becomes incredibly apologetic for her negative attitude and behaviors toward Ianthe upon coming to the realization that she believes Ianthe is actually admirable and a hero. This is the part where Hester Davenport gets to use her comedic skills. Roxalana is so touched with Ianthe’s patience and sympathy, that she does a favor for her and reunites her with her husband. This quick switch to a nicer, sympathetic Roxalana would be the perfect opportunity for Hester to overdo the kindness; the apologies, the admiration for Ianthe, the seeking of forgiveness from Roxalana’s part could easily be portrayed as over-the-top by Hester. This over-the-top action from Roxalana and acting from Hester is part of what makes Hester known for being a comedian from both the discussions we’ve had in class and the research that has been done on Hester Davenport.
 * __Personal Life __**
 * __Hester’s Acting Career __**
 * __<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">Critical Reviews and Articles on Plays Hester Performed In __**
 * __<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">How I Imagine Hester Davenport Would’ve Acted in Plays __**

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">Bibliography //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800. Volume 4: Corye to Dynion //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">.: Available through: Adam Matthew, Marlborough, Eighteenth Century Drama, http://www.eighteenthcenturydrama.amdigital.co.uk.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/Documents/Details/BL_OAH_1_Biographical_Dictionary_V4 [Accessed April 10, 2018]. //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800. Volume 10: M'Intosh to Nash //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">.: Available through: Adam Matthew, Marlborough, Eighteenth Century Drama, http://www.eighteenthcenturydrama.amdigital.co.uk.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/Documents/Details/BL_OAH_1_Biographical_Dictionary_V10 [Accessed April 10, 2018]. //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">The London Stage, 1660-1800. Part 1: 1660-1700 //<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">.: Available through: Adam Matthew, Marlborough, Eighteenth Century Drama, http://www.eighteenthcenturydrama.amdigital.co.uk.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/Documents/Details/BL_OAH_1_The_London_Stage_p1v1 [Accessed April 10, 2018]. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">"An ACCOUNT of the Play Called THE BONDMAN, Performing at Covent-Garden Theatre." //Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, June 1747-Dec.1803//, vol. 65, no. 453, 1779, pp. 194-195//. ProQuest//, https://search.proquest.com/docview/5829865?accountid=14696 <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">“Chapter 1. The Seventeenth Century.” //Rise of the English Actress//, by Sandra Richards, Macmillan, 1993, pp. 9–10. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">Leach, James. “The Modern Language Review.” //The Modern Language Review//, vol. 73, no. 4, 1978, pp. 883–884. //JSTOR//, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3727609. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif;">D'Avenant, William. //Love and Honour and the Siege of Rhodes//. Edited by James W Tupper, Nabu Press, 2010.