Cynthia's Revels Essay Questions

Why is the play also called "The Fountain of Self Love?’’

This title above is an alternative title given to the play, and it makes reference to the myth of Narcissus, who loved himself above everything else. In the play, Echo tells the audience that Narcissus became self-loving after drinking from a fountain. The water in the fountain was the poison that clouded Narcissus’s mind and made him enamored of himself. The other characters in the play also drink from the fountain and as a result start obsessing over themselves and loving themselves. Both Crites – a morally redeemable character – and Cynthia – an allegory for Queen Elizabeth I – are critical of this self-love and at the end the characters return to their former selves.

Why does the boy reciting the prologue claim that the people watching the play are similar to sex workers?

To understand this seemingly bizarre comment, we must first look at the historical and religious context at the time the play was written. The play was written in sixteenth-century in England, a time when religious upheaval was prevalent and Puritan influence was becoming more widespread. Those who believed the Puritan ideology tried to live a simple life, devoid of any pleasures. Music, paintings, dances and theater were considered sinful and self-indulgent. Many Puritans even protested outside theaters since they considered the theater the most deplorable form of entertainment. Thus, the boy in the play suggests lightheartedly and with amusement that those in attendance at the play are committing sins.

On which myth is the play based?

The play is based on the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. According to the myth, Narcissus was a man so beautiful that everyone fell in love with him. He, however, was not interested in anybody and he rejected every man and woman who confessed to him. One day, when he was in the woods, a nymph saw him and fell in love with him. Narcissus rejected the nymph and the goddess of Revenge decided to punish him. A while later, when he was in the woods once more, Narcissus stopped at a body of water to drink and there he saw his own face. Narcissus fell in love with himself, thereby depriving himself from experiencing love from anyone else.

Of whom is the play most critical?

Cynthia's Revels is a satire, like many of Jonson's comedies that poke lighthearted fun at early modern English society. However, this play is unique in that it focuses on the English court rather than the "city comedy" for which Jonson is known, which featured common people who lived in and around London. Under the guise of allegory, Jonson crafts a play that satirizes the court of Queen Elizabeth I, without necessarily critiquing Elizabeth herself. Instead, the courtiers – or the people, especially men, who surrounded the queen with hopes of gaining favor and access to social mobility – become the primary target of Jonson's irony, as he portrays them as narcissistic and a liability in Elizabeth's court.

Why was the play unpopular during the time of its performance?

While scholars can only speculate as to the reasons behind a play's success or failure, Cynthia's Revels is generally considered more of a "critic's play" than an entertaining play for audiences to enjoy. The play is most frequently studied for its relationship to the poetomachia, or War of the Theatres, and not so often considered for its literary or even political merits. As such, many believe the play was unsuccessful in its time because it was an early Jonsonian attempt at courtly satire that did not quite entertain the same way his other early comedies did. Indeed, Cynthia's Revels is relatively devoid of a captivating plot, and the allegorical nature of the play makes it a rather esoteric performance that only few may have appreciated at the time.