"Psyche's borrowed plumes"

Abstract

The restoration of Charles II in 1660 heralded a new era for English theatre. It was the restoration theatre which gave birth to the unique form which we now know as the dramatic opera. A form which represented both English and Continental dramatic ideas, it was a hybrid whose success also spelt its downfall. The restoration saw the introduction of other foreign ideas. It was from French that the word "burlesque" entered the English vocabulary. Yet the dramatic burlesque was inherently suited to the self-referential style of the restoration theatre. Thomas Duffett's three burlesques, written for the King's Company in the early-mid 1670's combined this theatrical self-absorbtion with a full-blooded exploitation of music and spectacle to provide raucous, earthy humour, which has been little appreciated until recently. The focus of this study is the last and longest of Duffett's burlesques, Psyche Debauch'd (1675), which parodies Thomas Shadwell and Matthew Locke's Psyche (c.1675). It represents Duffett at the apex of his burlesquing powers, while also indicating the declining fortunes of the King's Company who, unable to compete with the Duke's Company's spectacular shows, contented themselves with ridiculing them. This study looks at the relationship between Psyche and Psyche Debauch'd on literary and theatrical levels. It seeks to demonstrate the link between Locke's music and Duffett's lyrics, contending that Duffett largely borrowed the music from Psyche as a further development of his parodic powers. Locke's vocal music for Psyche is extant. As there remains only one song from Psyche Debauch'd however, the argument to support this hypothesis relies on a comparison of the lyrics for Psyche and Psyche Debauch'd, and an appraisal of the suitability of a "match" of Locke's music and Duffett's words. This hypothesis is supported with taped examples. In order to provide an understanding of Psyche Debauch'd's musical and theatrical burlesque, the wider contexts of the theatre in society and the genres of dramatic opera and burlesque have been examined, as have Duffett's earlier burlesques.