1736

The Year 1736 in Events, Theater, and Literature of England

The year 1736 as expressed in London, England through theater and literature was one that was concerned with rising social and political issues in the enlightenment era. In terms of day-to-day discussion, periodicals of the year show that the general public was invested in scientific breakthrough, explanations of religious texts, analyses of major historical events, and examinations of early literature. In terms of the major themes in theater, the comedic plays were largely satirical and broached issues of class, the justice system, and family structure. The dramatic plays included many interpretations of historical figures and early mythologies, and explored themes of power, family, honor, and sacrifice. A play that encapsulates the season quite well is //The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave//, which uses the metaphor of a hunt in order to signify the beginning of a new era, one that is matched by the enlightenment period and the First Information Age.

__ Discussion of the year in //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// __

// The Present State of the Republick of Letters // is a London-based English periodical that ran from January 1728 until December 1736. It covers a large variety of subjects and issues that were common for the time, and features an average of five or six articles per issue. The articles for the first six months of 1736 give a clear indication of the areas of interest of the public as well as the pieces of history and literature that were of interest to analysts and scholars. There seem to be four general categories that the articles in the periodical fall under: science/math, history, religion, and literature. The scientific and mathematical articles of the periodical mostly revolve around an interpretation and explanation of already-existing literature as a way to make it palatable to the everyman. For example, one of the scientific articles, titled “An Examination of the Fourteenth Chapter of Sir Isaac Newton’s Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel” combines scientific theory with a conventional story ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 240). Furthermore, the article “Human Osteogeney explained in two Lectures, read in the Anatomical Theater of the Surgeons of London” is an exploration of anatomy given through the lens of scholarly lectures, which both imparts practical and accurate knowledge to the public as well as makes it accessible and readable to them ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 144). Mathematical articles are approached in a similar fashion, with “A Miscellany of Mathematicks” as a good example of a summary or simplification of mathematics for the general readership ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 411). However, “A Mathematical Treatise: Containing a System of Conic-Sections; with the Doctrine of Fluxions and Fluents, applied to various Subjects” is a little more complex and specific, but does integrate various subjects into the mathematics in order to make it more palatable ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 421). In conclusion, the scientific and mathematical articles that are displayed in //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// tend to bring recent scientific discoveries into focus, and combining their explanations with religious tales in order to make them understandable to the English layman.

The articles about history in //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// are varied in subject, but do tend to focus on European-centric issues. They are also specific in nature, and are about the histories of public figures and geographical locations. For example, “The History of the Revolutions of //Poland// from the Foundations of that Monarchy, to the Death of //Augustus// II” is an exploration of the military and revolutionary history of Poland, another European nation ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 39). It comments on the monarchy of Poland, giving a sense of both the historical and political climate of the nation. Similarly, “The Life of //Philip//, Duke of //Orleans,// Grandson of //France//, and Regent of the Kingdom during the Minority of //Lewis// XV” tackles a European country, France, and its political climate under a specific head of government ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 358). This is also a Euro-centric article. The eponymous Duke being discussed is praised heavily by the author, and is commended for establishing committees for the people to have a voice in government. The periodical does discuss a non-Eurocentric article with “A Description of //Egypt//, containing several curious Remarks on its ancient and modern Geography” ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 230). However, the article does discuss ancient and modern Egypt from the perspective of a French Consul of Cairo, named M. De. Maillet. This article makes clear that an interest in ancient Egypt has been renewed for the English in 1736, and recommends the letters of this historian for the general populous in order to aid their search for knowledge. However, in “The History of the Council of //Trent//, wrote originally in //Italian// by Father //Paul Sarpi//, and newly translated into //French// by //Peter Francis le Courayer//”, the history of the subject is not at the focal point of the article ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 452). Instead, it summarizes the translations and additions to the original text. This indicates that the public was interested in revising and reexamining history, as well as being concerned with the aspects and effects of translation. Therefore, the histories covered in this periodical aim not only to inform, but to attempt to redefine and reanalyze.



The religious articles in //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// tend to focus on interpretation and explanation of various religious texts, and are varied in the topics they address. There is a particularly large amount of these texts in the periodical, indicating that the English public was largely invested in religion and its study in 1736. One particularly memorable article is “A Paraphrase and critical Commentary on the Prophecy of //Joel//” ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 51). This article examines a specific religious work and offers insight into the possible meanings with in-text analysis. Here, religion is treated as subject to interpretation and suggestion, and the English public is asked to reexamine an older text in order to ascertain the religious messages that can be found there. Similarly, “The Fourth Commandment abrogated by the Gospel: //or//, The Fourth Commandment’s enjoying the Observance of the Seventh Day of the Week, as a Religious Rest, was only obligatory and binding upon the //Jewish// State” is an article that also revolutionizes the interpretation and practice of Christianity ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 254). In it, the author suggests that the Christian day of rest be moved to the first of the week, and quickly summarizes his reasoning behind this redefining of religious tradition. However, this is clearly a radical change of thought, and its publishing in a public periodical lends credence to the idea that the British public were becoming more accepting of a redefinition and reexamination of religious practices. That is not to say that they didn’t believe that religion was not still a central part of life. This is clear in “The Alliance between Church and State: or, the Necessity and Equity of an Established Religion and a Test Law demonstrated” ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 470). Here, the author makes the case for the joining of church and state in creating a civil and moral society. He makes specific points that indicate that it was believed that religion served as a moral backbone for the English people in 1736. While they may have been reexamining religion, they clearly did still see it as needing to be involved with politics, and that religion played a role in maintain moral order. This point in further compounded in “A Summary of Natural Religion. Containing a Proof of the Being and Attributes of God, and a particular Deduction of the Laws of Nature” ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 210). Here, the author is making the same case as the previous article: that religion is the foundation of morality and ethical decisions. The article also makes a point of describing proof of the existence of God or an all-powerful being. This point is further expounded on by the author in “A Letter from the Author of the //Summary of natural Religion//; with an introductory Preface by the Author of the //Republick of Letters//” ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 400). Clearly, this issue is one of import to the author of the periodical: it is significant enough that he felt the need to repeat the information in a later issue of the periodical. This is particularly indicative of the pervasive nature of religion in English society in 1736: it signified an important moral basis for them.

The articles about literature in //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// are not particularly common, but do tend to have a religious focus. For example, “A Comment on the Ode of //Horace//, shewing the //Bacchus// of the //Heathen// to be the //Jehovah// of the //Jews//” touches on classic literature and combines it with a religious story ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 203). The previous themes of rewriting and reinterpretation are revisited in this article, but at a deeper, more layered setting. Here, classical literature and religion are mixed with more modern Christianity in order to revitalize older stories and maintain their relevance. This echoes the rising globalization of the 18th century, with Eurocentric, classical stories being mixed with then-modern English religion in order to improve the quality of the stories. However, the discussion of literature in this periodical is not limited to interpretations of religion. In “The Book of //Psalms// divided metrically into Verses, and in many Places corrected and restored to its original Purity, according to the Rules of Criticism, especially those relating to Poetry”, language is explored, discussed, and analyzed ( // The Present state of the republick of letters // 161). The form of the poem is examined in-depth, and the poetic genre is expounded upon. Therefore, the study of literature in England in 1736 contained examinations of both literary content and the structures of language, and literary traditions were addressed in a scholarly fashion as well as a religious one.

__ Summary of the 1736 theater season in London __

The year 1736 was an involved one for theater in London. Most of the plays seemed to be performed in one of three locations: Drury Lane Theater, Coven Garden, and Goodman’s Fields Theater ( // The London Stage // ix). The plays were well attended, and seemed to seat over 400 people at a time. Sometimes, the Royal Family visited the plays, and a note was made when this occurred. The plays seemed to be chosen based on requests from various people and patrons of the theater, and were performed accordingly. The peak months of the theater were between January-May and October-December, where there was multiple plays performed daily except for on Sundays. In the off-season, from June-September, plays were performed around once a day, and usually in weekly or bi-weekly increments.



The plays in the comedic category had a focus on satire, cementing the fact that satire had emerged in the 18th century. Many were commentaries on the roles of social classes, especially those who were of lower social standing. These plays also explored aspects of relationships and the role of the family, and this seemed to be a popular topic in 1736. Some popular shows that tended to be repeated include: //The Twin Rivals//, //The Provok’d Husband//, //The Rehearsal, The Conscious Lovers//, //The Beggar’s Opera//, //Pasquin,// and //Love’s Last Shift//. Some plays, like //The Twin Rivals//, were brought back due to popular demand, as //The Twin Rivals// had not been performed for 10 years before it was revived to great success on January 3, 1936 ( // The London Stage // 540). The popularity of the play extended to include visits by the Royal Family, as the Prince of Wales made an appearance at one of the showings on the 5th of January that year ( // The London Stage // 541). //The Conscious Lovers// was also a popular choice for the Royal Family, as on the 3rd of March of that year, the entire Royal Family made an appearance at a performance of the play in the Drury Lane Theater ( // The London Stage // 557). Even more telling of the show’s popularity, on April 30th, the play was performed again in honor of a royal wedding that had occurred, and the stage was decorated in honor of the event and liquor was distributed amongst the audience ( // The London Stage // 578). The much-loved classic of //The Beggar’s Opera// was also performed at length in 1936, and was performed at the end of the year to thunderous applause on December 31st ( // The London Stage // 626). Many of these plays, most notably //The Beggar’s Opera//, were focused on social issues and the inherent problems of the justice system. It is clear that these were the issues that people were thinking about at the time, and their serious nature was exemplified in the satirical tone of the plays.

The dramatic plays of the year were about a variety of issues that ranged from social class to relationships to various stories about myths or historical figures. The most popular dramatic plays of the year include //Apollo and Daphne,// //King Arthur//, //King Richard III//, // The Albion Queens //, //King Lear//, //Oroonoko//. //Hamlet//. //Macbeth//, //The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave//, //The Distrest Mother//, //Arden of Feversham//, //Henry V//, //Othello//, //Henry IV//, //All For Love//, //Julius Caesar//, //Henry VIII//, and The //Way of the World//. Evidently, dramatic and historical plays by William Shakespeare were particularly popular, as nine of the eighteen aforementioned plays are his. Most of these plays carry similar themes of the dichotomy of power and honor, as well as containing discussions of big-picture topics such as the ethical implications of war and the nature of revenge. However, many of these plays are about royalty or upper-class English people (there are some exceptions, like // Oroonoko // ), which give an indication as to the intended audiences of these plays. It also indicates that people were interested in the lives and decisions of the rich and higher classes, and preferred to see the working class represented in comedy. Interestingly, however, it is the working class who are usually involved with the performing and acting of these plays, which can also end up being quite dangerous and sometimes fatal. For example, in a performance // The Way of the World // on October 1st, the wire on a piece of machinery broke, destroying a harness and causing multiple injuries on stage. A man later died form his injuries ( // The London Stage // 603-604). Therefore, the dramatic plays tended to focus on larger-scale issues but were not inclusive in their representation of class, and this translated into the way they were performed on stage.

__ A Summary of //The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave// __

// The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave // by Edward Philips is a dramatic play that uses mythological figures and the extended metaphor of a chase or hunt in order to create a sense of seeking information and knowledge. The play also uses various mythological figures from different times: both Roman and early English. In the play, the English mythological figure (Merlin) is called in to help the old ones (Roman deities), and it is clear that he is the more useful of the two. Here, Philips makes a point that renewal and reinvention is necessary to ensure the survival and progress of a society. In this case, he urges England to embrace the coming changes in the same way that the Roman deities did with Merlin, and encourages reinventing old traditions for the sake of progress. The play opens with the character of the Chaffeaur-Royale entering with his attendants, and he joyfully discusses the beauty of the morning. He also introduces the concept of the “Chace”, or the hunt, that will occur later in the day and the camaraderie that it will create. He exits, and the next scene begins with an assembly of Roman deities who are waiting for Jupiter, the King of the Gods, to arrive on the Earth. Mercury, the God of messengers, arrives and informs the assembly that Jupiter has fallen in love with a human named Europa. He then describes the courtship in very positive terms, and implies that this is the “hunt” that was mentioned previously. The next scene opens in a hall, where a series of men and women are celebrating. They sing of courtship, and the necessity of searching for a woman to love. The Chorus enters and echoes these sentiments, adding that the search for love is the best of all sports, including hunting. The next scene opens with Merlin in a cave, contemplating his solitude. The sound of French horns interrupts his musings, and Diana, goddess of the hunt, enters his cave. Merlin welcomes her in and sympathizes with her about the toil of the “chace”, or hunt. To cheer her, he uses his magic to summon a variety of lesser gods that express their love for her. Diana thanks Merlin, then suggests that she needs to return to the hunt. Merlin agrees, and thanks her for bestowing his cave with her divinity. The next scene comprises of the end of the hunt, wherein the stag is caught and killed and the hunting party rejoices. The play ends with Jupiter and the rest of the Gods singing from the clouds, telling the people to return to their homes in peace. They encourage people to seek their own pleasure and depart, laughing (Philips, 24).



This play combines aspects of old and new mythology in order to make several points about love, courtship, and tradition. In the play, love is championed as the best kind of goal, and the eponymous “chace” is one for love rather than for sport. At its surface, the “chace” is of the need to seek out love through courtship, but it is also representative of seeking out knowledge and information as well. This broader definition of “chace” is demonstrated in the scene shared between Diana and Merlin. Here, Diana brings knowledge of the “chace” to Merlin’s attention, and he reacts with awe at the divinity of such a prospect. However, Diana is also the goddess of virgin beauty, and is firmly opposed to all marriage. Therefore, her “chace” encompasses more than just love: she also seeks truth, which Merlin demonstrates to her through the summoning of the lesser Gods. Therefore, there is an implication present that Merlin, who is a more recent myth than that of the Roman Gods, is more useful at pointing out and seeking truth: it is he who directs Diana in the correct direction. Similarly, the actions of the Gods at the end of the play suggest that they are unconcerned with the “chaces” of the mortals below. They simply leave, only encouraging the people to seek love. Merlin, however, is a more proactive character: he uses his newer magic to actually seek out and present information, making the “chace” much shorter and simpler to achieve. Therefore, Philips encourages progress in the search for information and love by creating new traditions and means, and to embrace these new means fully.

__ Conclusions Drawn about the Year __

Through looking at the various texts that represented the year 1736, it is clear that it was a year of revision and reinterpretation. The First Information Age is the center of much of this reflection, and the manner in which documents were distributed impacted the scholarly reach of the newspaper. The existence of // The Present State of the Republick of Letters // is a testament to the changing nature of information: the English working class now had the ability to read about science, literature, and history. Therefore, the nature of scholarly work has changed in the wider readership that it has accumulated. The authors of //The Present State of the Republick of Letters// don’t see the spread of information as inherently negative, and instead use these new technologies as a way to educate the populous, which seems to be the purpose of the periodical. // The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave // approaches the new, increased distribution of information in a similar manner. It seems to urge viewers to encourage progress in terms of searching for truth and information, and abandon traditional means for the sake of more efficient and newer technology. A running theme seems to be the support of the First Information Age and an increased spread of information despite the changes this brought to traditional societal roles.

Another running theme throughout the year was a discussion of family structure and relationships. Much of the plays performed throughout the year were centered on these themes. The comedies tended to be more critical and satirical of family structure and love: for example, //The Beggar’s Opera// contains serious commentaries on the nature of marriage and its detrimental effect on women. There is a reinterpretation of family structure and the nature of relationships in some of the dramatic plays as well, but those tend to focus on issues from an upper class perspective. Similarly, //The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave// is a metaphor on chasing or looking for love, indicating that concept of marriage was beginning to be reexamined and redefined as not just a business transaction, but as something that was done for emotional purposes.

Therefore, the year expressed in theater and literature is one that was encouraging of science, revising religion, and reinterpreting history and literature. These reinterpretations were present in much of the theatrical productions, especially in terms of the division of the classes: comedic and satirical plays addressed these issues especially directly. This places 1736 as a year of self-awareness at the shift in public and private consciousness, which is particularly evident in //The Royal Chace; or Merlin’s Cave//. Here, it is clear that the old ways are being superseded by new ways to examine religion, class, and finances, and were the result of a shift into the enlightenment era.

Works Cited "Philippe II, Duc D'Orleans." //Encyclopedia Britannica Online//. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Phillips, Edward. //A new dramatic entertainment called The royal chace; or, Merlin's cave. With// // several new comic scenes of action introduced into the // // grotesque pantomime of Jupiter and Europa. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden. The words in the Scenes of the Hermitage and Merlin's Cave by Mr. Phillips. // London, MDCCXXXVI. [1736]. __Eighteenth Century Collections Online__. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. 10 Apr. 2016.

// The London Stage, 1660-1800: a Calendar of Plays, Entertainments & Afterpieces, Together //// With Casts, Box-receipts And Contemporary Comment. // [1st ed.] Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1960196811965. // The Present state of the republick of letters. // London [England], MDCCXXXVI.[1736]. __Eighteenth Century Collections Online__. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. 10 Apr. 2016

“The Stage of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 1674." //Shakespeare.Berkley.Edu//. Berkley, 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.