Staging the Henrician Court : New Moon thoughts
This page last changed on Aug 07, 2009 by Greg Walker.
Each time I see this speech played it raises new questions, I think. On one level the speech is just an excuse, a nonsensical story made up by Merry Report to 'explain' why the Gentlewoman cannot get to see Jupiter, but which strings her along and keeps open the prospect that MR and she can get together in that corner. But what might it imply and what is Jupiter really doing?
If Jupiter's head appeared through the curtains, with the king obviously in his nightshirt, to shoo MR away ('Son, this is not the thing at this time meant...') then the suggestion that the real story here is the relationship with anne Boleyn would be flagged up. Henry's too busy with Anne to bother with other suitors. Merry report tries to come up with a story that steers the conversation away from what is going on, but somehow keeps getting distracted back to Catherine and Anne, the tiredness of the old and the desirability of the new...
The speech works on one level well enough as a piece of nonsense, the pleasure of soft drops and the unpleasantness of great gushes. Do the sexual (and so the political) overtones NEED to be brought into sharp focus in order for the speech to be funny? I'm not sure. It'll be interesting to hear what others made of it...
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