The Diary · Question
How does The Diary develop the theme of Theatre and Public Entertainment?
Answer
The Diary by Samuel Pepys develops Theatre and Public Entertainment across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Pepys frequently attends plays, operas, and puppet shows, offering detailed commentary on performances, actors like Nell Gwyn, and the social dynamics of the theatre as a space for leisure and intrigue.
Pepys attends plays such as 'The Silent Woman' and 'The Widdow,' and comments on performances and actors.
Pepys attends performances of 'The Scornful Lady' and 'The Virgin Martyr,' and hears trumpets and drums at Whitehall.
Pepys attends multiple plays including 'Love's Mistress', 'King and No King', 'The Spanish Curate', 'The Bondman', and 'Rollo'.
Evidence in the book
- January 1660–61
Pepys attends plays such as 'The Silent Woman' and 'The Widdow,' and comments on performances and actors.
- February 1660–61
Pepys attends performances of 'The Scornful Lady' and 'The Virgin Martyr,' and hears trumpets and drums at Whitehall.
- March 1660–61
Pepys attends multiple plays including 'Love's Mistress', 'King and No King', 'The Spanish Curate', 'The Bondman', and 'Rollo'.
- April 1661
Pepys attends several plays ('Rule a Wife and Have a Wife,' 'The Little Thiefe,' 'The Humersome Lieutenant') and enjoys music and social gatherings.
- July 1661
Pepys attends the opera 'The Siege of Rhodes' and the play 'Claracilla', noting the shift in audience from traditional theatres to the new opera.
- August 1661
Pepys attends several plays including 'The Joviall Crew' and 'The Witts', visits Bartholomew Fair, and expresses guilt over his love of plays.
- September 1661
Pepys attends multiple plays this month, including 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and 'King and No King', noting their quality.
- October 1661
Pepys attends plays including Victoria Corombona and Argalus and Parthenia, commenting on the performances.
