ABSTRACT
In the 1980s, critics classified The Malcontent as a Jacobean disguised ruler play. Placing The Malcontent in an exclusively Jacobean generic grouping nevertheless makes some sense for a number of reasons, over and above its supposed occasionalism. Condell's explanation, that the original playbook of The Malcontent was somehow 'lost' and then 'found' by the King's Men, is often considered with a varying degree of literality. The absence of these allusions cannot, however, confirm that The Malcontent was originally written prior to Florio's translation. Available evidence suggests that The Malcontent is indeed a play that appeared on the London stage in two distinct versions, written for two distinct repertories, possibly at two distinct times. Nevertheless, one specific QC addition does include an overt and contentious reference that was considered sufficiently 'anti-Jamesian' to be subtly altered by an apparent act of censorship.
