1723

1723 in England was a time of transition and change. London was still recovering from the economic collapse caused by the shady practices of the South Sea Company, England’s foremost trade monopoly. In a sort of parallel to the economy, the theatre was interested in the plays of yesteryear, as they attempted to remember a time before poverty and hardship.


 * The South Sea Company and England’s Economy **

To understand the state of England in 1723, one must first take a quick glance at the history of the South Sea Company. In the early 1700s, the South Sea Company was created as a monopoly on all British trade to the Spanish colonies in South America in order to consolidate the national debt incurred as a result of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714). Because Spain won the war, it became increasingly difficult for the company to trade in South America – in fact, the first trade was not made until 1717. However, in 1719, the company convinced Parliament to convert the national debt into South Sea Company shares. To generate more income and increase the value of its stock, company employees began spreading false rumors of their success overseas. Surprisingly, the plan worked. In 1720, the stock raised from £128 in January to £1050 in June. In June, the Bubble act was passed, requiring all joint-stock companies like South Sea to obtain a royal charter. Even with this success, investors quickly began to catch on to the scheme. By September, the shares underwent a staggering decrease to £175. Formal investigations began, and in 1721, the lies and deceit of the South Sea Company were shone to the light. By 1723, the British economy remains in the downwind. In almost every edition, there are postings in the //London Gazette// about sells of South Sea stock and estates. In an alarming trend, there are multiple posts regarding the sale of South Sea subscriptions. Earlier, stock had been sold to investors, but the sellers did not give the investors any receipts, causing there to be uncertainty about the current value of the stock. The company offered the proprietors their money back, but very few acted on this offer. The mismanagement of the Company’s subscriptions were only a glimmer into the blatant dishonesty of the company to its patrons. The attempts to raise money for the company were far too little, far too late and the public was not going to take this bait a second time. The economy of England as very low at this point – no one could afford to buy the estates and stock of South Sea, and the few that already owned stock did not trust the deceitful company.


 * A Discussion of England **

There was ample English trading in 1723. In January, the viceroy declared that all trading ships were allowed to come into British ports without having previously been quarantined. This was a good way to stimulate the otherwise crippled economy because more trading meant an influx of goods and services. However, the British distaste for his fellow Frenchmen gave an exception to this rule: no French or Levant goods could be on the ship, and if found, the items would be burnt and the ship would be quarantined. Restrictions on trade continued to lessen throughout the year. In April, the king declared that the merchant ships in The Hague were now allowed to freely traffic in the Baltic Sea, giving more opportunity to trade. The new trade probably led to a leniency of foreigners – in September, it was declared that foreign handicraftsmen were exempt from paying taxes for the next three years and were free to practice the religion of their choice. All of this served both as good news for trading and foreign relations as well as an attempt to bring back the financial stability of yesteryear. Several elections were held in 1723 as well. For example, in August, the states held an election for senator. The states chose two senators and twelve electors. The twelve electors were then required to vote on fifty more electors of their own choosing. On March 16, there was a resolution to make no alterations to the government as it currently stood. These nominations, elections and the like showed a leaning towards a more democratic understanding of government, as opposed to the traditional sense of the patriarchal monarchy that previous centuries had been more inclined to live under. On May 18, the Church of Scotland wrote an address to the king, which was published in the //London Gazette//. The address spent a significant amount of space discussing the King’s enemies, and how the Church of Scotland detested them for their ingratitude. The Church was angry with the Protestants for their attempt to tear King George away from the throne and replace him with their own Protestant King. The entirety of the address was meant to sing the praises of this British king and condemn any of his enemies.


 * London’s Theatre Scene **

The London theatre scene saw a number of old classics returning to the stage. Several productions’ of William Shakespeare’s classics were performed multiple times throughout the season, including, but certainly not limited to //Coriolanus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Macbeth, Measure for Measure,// and //Hamlet.// The theatres showed a number of Restoration era comedies as well, including //The Conscious Lovers, The// //Plain Dealer //and //The Rover//. Drama was not overlooked, however - plays like //Mariamne, Oedipus, King of Thebes// and //Otho, King of Germany// were performed quite often that year. Lesser known theatre houses gave burgeoning playwrights a chance to get a taste of success as well. For example, smaller theatres such as the New Haymarket Theatre showed productions of //The Recruiting Officer// while //Darius, King of Persia// was given a chance of success at Moorfields.

The two most popular theatre houses were Drury Lane and Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London. These two houses had been in a long-standing competitive rivalry that saw no chance of calming in 1723. They competed for everything – in fact, at one time they found themselves opening the same play, //Tamerlane,// on the same two nights, November 4th and 5th. The two theatres even saw competition for advertisements in the local newspapers – both //the Daily Post// and //the Daily Courant// posted the two theatres’ advertisements. A blossoming company of English actors – aptly called The New Company of English Comedians, opened in hopes of competing with the previously established and thriving theatre houses. This new company did their best to compete with the established names in the business, but found it difficult. The King’s Theatre, another established London theatre, was faring quite well in its own right. In 1723, The King’s Theatre had a propensity to perform the popular operas, causing Italian opera to rise in popularity. //The Daily Courant// added to this popularity by posting advertisements for the King’s Theatre. To honor King George I on his birthday, the King’s Theatre played //Flavius// on May 14th. In other news, journalists began taking notice of the theatre – there were more articles in the papers about news, criticism and gossip relating to the theatre, allowing for a deeper appreciation for and an understanding of the arts among London’s citizenry.


 * 1) [[image:fenton.jpg width="236" height="290" caption="Elijah Fenton, English Poet"]]** //Mariamne // **** <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Elijah Fenton  **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 1723, one of the most popular plays being staged was Elijah Fenton’s //Mariamne. A Tragedy//. The play tells the story of Queen Mariamne of Jerusalem, who was beheaded by her husband, King Herod. It takes place during the reign of Julius Caesar, who is oft mentioned in this play. The play, though written about Mariamne’s predicament, features a supporting cast of fully-fleshed characters that share equal stage time with the play’s title character. One of the notable characters is Herod’s sister, Salome, who conspires against the queen to ensure her death. She and Sohemus, the first minister, plot to divide the court and to end Mariamne’s reign by spreading rumors that she had been adulterous with Sohemus. Most of the royal court new the truth – that Mariamne actually hated Sohemus immensely, but the rumor made its way to the king’s ear regardless. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There were many versions of this play, including a French script written by Voltaire in 1723. Fenton’s version took many liberties with the story of Mariamne and Herod, with the major differences being the deaths in the play. Although Sohemus does get his comeuppance by falling on his sword, it is Herod’s death that is so surprising. Mariamne also dies because Herod, believing the rumors of Mariamne’s adultery, gave her poison to drink. The tragedies is in their deaths because, despite their strong love for each other, they both died as a result of vicious rumors. Herod loved his queen with every cell in his body, and was heartbroken to hear of her infidelity, but instead of questioning it, he allowed the rumors to consume his soul, which is why he ordered her death. When Herod learned of the truth, that Mariamne remained faithful to him, he died of a broken heart as he watched her die of poisoning.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conclusions **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1723 was a year meant to clean up the mess that past generations had left. The transgressions of the South Sea Company in 1720 had left England in a state of disarray and with an economy that needed to be saved. The people no longer trusted large monopolies like the South Sea Company and instead began to look towards foreign trading to raise funds. Both the King and Parliament seemed to be in line with this thought and demonstrated this by maintaining a lenient stance on trade – both imports and exports.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The theatre showed a preference towards already established plays, showing a longing for the greatness of yesteryear. With reproductions of a number of Shakespeare’s then classic plays and an expansive list of Restoration-era plays regularly shown on stage, the British theater goer was not only going to the theatre for entertainment, but for a look into the past. Even the plays being produced had an air of historical tendencies – a lot of the plays produced at that time were about old monarchs and historical occurrences.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overall, England was reviling in the past, and attempting to change its future. The Brits had been through a tough time, and were attempting to make the necessary changes to ensure that future generations did not make the same mistakes.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Works Cited**

// Elijah Fenton (British Poet) //. N.d. //Encyclopedia Britannica Online//. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Fenton, Elijah. //Mariamne A Tragedy. By Elijah Fenton, Esq : A Tragedy. By Elijah Fenton, Esq//. N.p.: Edinburgh, 1774. //. Eighteenth Century Collections Online.//Web. <http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/retrieve.do? scale=0.33&sort=&docLevel=FASCIMILE&prodId=ECCO&tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&inPS=true&userGroupName=umd_um&docId=CW3316996819¤tPosition=&workId=1195900500&relevancePageBatch=CW116996759&contentSet=ECCOArticles&callistoContentSet=ECCOArticles&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&reformatPage=N&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&scale=0.33&pageIndex=62&orientation=&showLOI=&quickSearchTerm=&stwFuzzy=&doDirectDocNumSearch=false&searchId=>.

Herbert, William, and Robert Wilkinson. Inside of the Dukes Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields as it appeared in the reign of King Charles II, engraved by Richard Sawyer, pub. by William Herbert and Robert Wilkinson, 1809. Digital image. //Look and Learn//. N.p., n.d. Web.

// London Gazette // [London, England] 1723: n. pag. //17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers//. Web. < []>

// King George I of England //. N.d. //FamilySearch//. Web.

Moll, Herrmann. "A New and Exact Map of the Coast, Countries and Islands within the Limits of the South Sea Company." Map. London: n.p., 1711. N. pag. //Wikimedia Commons//. Web.

"South Sea Bubble Short History." //– Baker Library//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.