1733


 * The Daily Journal and English Paranoia**

The Daily Journal was interesting to say the least. It was easy to digest, but it was hard to get a feel for the vast array of information that could come on any given day. The six-month period between January and June of the year 1733 followed a steady format, but this included a significant space for a random assortment of unpredictable information.

Each issue usually started with a letter from King George II responding to a Duke or officer in the naval fleet. The letters were kindhearted but stern. They were jovial, sometimes complimentary, but always unyielding and certain. What would be today’s headline story was sometimes a rambling, seemingly pointless speech from the King; but it was there nonetheless. This was a surefire method to show that your divine leader still has a strong presence in everyday dealings.

At the end of each installment, there were advertisements for the theatres covered by this journal. Each periodical dealt with different locations, and this specific publication included performances in The King’s Theatre, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and the Covent Garden (TLS). It mentioned how long the play has been running, as well as the pricing and lead actors and musicians. //The Beggar’s Opera// occupied this section for what seemed to be the majority of this publication, so it looked as if the Londoners of this time enjoyed the play more than the students of our class.

The random information mentioned earlier came just before the theatre ads, and brought about time-sensitive snippets sprinkled onto the pages in a variety of forms. There were criminal sentences, many of which were for abjuration (renouncing the oath swearing against Catholicism). There were advertisements for papers associated with //The Daily Journal//, including //Gentleman’s Magazine; or, The Monthly Intelligencer//. Merchants would market their goods and list the specific times and locations throughout the day that they could be found, almost always following the phrase, “this is to give notice…” There were Acts passed by the English colonizers. There were notices for missing items. What really caught my attention, however, was not these arbitrary tellings, but the emphasis placed on the neighboring information that made the bulk of the journal’s body - foreign affairs.

Almost everything tied back to the English navy and the movement of various ships around the island. Immediately after the King’s note followed the travel statuses of the English ports. It listed the commanding officers of the ships, where they came from and where they’re going, and in some instances it listed what they’re carrying. There were comments from the captains, which mainly encompassed stories or weather reports. Much like the King’s letters, the fervent discussions seemed to imply a feeling rather than record an event. The English navy was flexing their nautical muscles.

I only realized this phenomenon after reviewing the statistics of nearby countries that appeared frequently throughout the half-year. //The Daily Journal// touched on army sizes and outposts, but what was most unsettling was its obsession with manufactured goods. There were clear lists with amounts of exported and imported goods, mostly those manufactured in Stockholm, Sweden. The lists displayed how many deals were done with this country, and the quantities of wrought copper, brass wire, tar and pitch, steel, and iron shipped to a number of recipients throughout Europe. Exposing the heavy ship traffic sends a clear message that the English resources are extensive, however, reporting figures of surrounding nations sends a clear message that the English are paranoid.


 * The London Stage and Innovation in Theatre**

In the last month of 1732, John Rich opened his second theatre in Covent Garden. According to the text, this name would, “soon rival that of Drury Lane Theatre in the long annals of English Drama” (TLS, 229). At this venue, Rich hosted plays, farces, pantomime, and entr’acte – a very similar résumé that he also offered at Lincoln’s Inn Fields after starting there in 1714. But people were trying new things, and he had to change his methods to keep up with the competition.

Signora Violante occupied New Haymarket, and added an exciting twist to //The Beggar’s Opera//. Not only did this show please the audience with its familiar songs, but Violante also incorporated rope dancing and acrobatics to make the play an electrifying production. Lediard’s opera //Brittania// tried out Transparent Theatre, which uses a scrim, or curtain, to hide or reveal certain events depending on the lighting. This year saw another rare occurrence, for there were many plays continuing throughout the summer including //The Opera of Operas//. Rich, in his attempt to level the playing field, hosted plays during the summer and even over the Christmas and Easter holidays (TLS).

Due to these improvements and alterations to common performance, there were great fluctuations in the admissions charges. It split into two sets: common and advanced prices. The common fare was a flat rate, but the advanced tickets were subject to change based on the popularity of the theatrical development.

//The London Stage// presented 1733 as a time to try new things, but also as a time that separated individuals based on socioeconomic status. It wasn’t only the audience that was partitioned, but performers too. There were 6 major venues, the most that had even been present throughout London. Drury Lane, New Haymarket, Goodman’s Fields, Covent Garden, the King’s Theatre and Lincoln’s Inn Fields all had different companies competing, thus spreading the crowds and talent to an exceptionally thin state.

People wanted to pursue their own interests. They realized that there is a more attractive option – to follow one’s own ambitions instead of those imposed onto him by another. This may sound familiar, for it was the mindset of our American founders.


 * Cato and the Dissolution of the Triumvirate**

Funnily enough, 1733 saw many of the plays we read in class. Aside from //The Beggar’s Opera//, which was the most popular play of early 1733, //The London Merchant//, //The Man of Mode//, //The Country Wife//, and //The Rover// all made an appearance on stage at least once throughout the year. One that we did not discuss in class, however, was //Cato//, the tragedy of a senator-general of the same name anticipating of the arrival of Julius Caesar at Utica.

There are many subplots alongside the military strategy pending the return of Caesar. Cato’s sons both love the same woman, who happens to be the daughter of a political friend. Cato’s daughter is fancied by Juba, a prince and companion that fights for freedom alongside Cato. This play, however, is not all about love and war. There is deceit and malicious plotting against the protagonist by the conniving Sempronius. This rival senator works with Syphax, the general of the Numidian army (the same nation from which Juba hails), to remove their troops from supporting Cato in his upheaval of Caesar. At the end, Cato kills himself. He felt that suicide was the only option for resolution since the hatred that he and Caesar shared would be too great to ever reach a compromise.

This play speaks against tyrannical injustice and the oppressive nature of a self-serving leader. It empowers one to seek the individual liberties that they deserve. Cato’s suicide tells the audience, in a tremendously drastic fashion, that the elimination of oneself from a situation may be the only feasible chance to compel change. The domineering equation doesn’t work without all of its variables. A King cannot rule without the support of the peons. Sometimes to leave is the only way to receive what is desired, especially in situations that involve one party oppressing another. It is no great mystery why this play was so popular with our founding fathers.

What I found most interesting was that the three main roles were played by the triumvirate, a group of three actors that had authority of the Drury Lane Theatre. This included Colley Cibber, Barton Booth, and Robert Wilks acting the parts of Syphax, Cato, and Juba, respectively. In 1733, Cibber sold the controlling interest of Drury Lane’s patent to John Highmore, a move that caused great discomfort throughout the company (TRDL, TLS). Is this why //Cato// was only performed a few times that year; or why Cibber was cast as the devious Syphax? I could not uncover these answers in my research endeavors, but there is something to be said about a man that follows his own heart.


 * Conclusions**

//The Daily Journal// disclosed an array of information, but focused on the details pertinent to the English navy. There were promotions in the ranks, and even the times of high and low tide. It almost seemed like a sailor’s journal, and there was a feeling that everyone was on their toes much like a sailor has to be to brace himself for the unpredictable nature of the sea. This idea, coupled with the self-fulfilling tendencies the six theatres mentioned in //The London Stage// and in the production of //Cato//, led me to believe that 1733 was a time when no one really knew what to expect. The journals seemed paranoid and the theatres did what they wanted. The revolution and disenfranchisement of the settlers that moved to America really took their toll on the English culture, altering the mindset of the individuals towards a more democratic and unconventional outlook.

**Bibliography** -"Abjuration." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 July 2012. Web. 9 Aug. 2012. . // -Cato, a Tragedy //. By Joseph Addison. England, London. 1733. __Eighteenth Century Collections__ __ Online __ -"Daily Journal." //17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers//. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2012. Issue 3743-3889 -"Patent Theatre." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2012. . //-The London Stage, 1660-1800: A Calendar of Plays, Entertainments & Afterpieces, Together// //with Casts, Box-Receipts and Contemporary Comment//. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. Print. -"Theatre Royal, Drury Lane." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2012. .