ABSTRACT
The most virulent dramatist who participated in the political upheaval, however, was John Bale, who has clear claims to be regarded as England’s first major playwright. He may have written as many as twenty-one plays, though only half a dozen survive. Bale’s plays are revolutionary, both dramatically and in terms of their content. Bale’s characters exist on both real and allegorical planes: Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is effectively a mask donned by Sedition. One play which may be seen as a riposte to Bale was Respublica, a strongly pro-Catholic play produced by Queen Mary’s Players at her court in 1553. In this, Lady Respublica is the counterpart to Bale’s Widow England, and the Vices – Avarice, Intolerance and Oppression – are Protestants enriching themselves at the country’s expense. Like Jack Juggler, Avarice in Respublica and Merry Report in The Play of the Weather are more comic, mocking and quick-witted.
