Segasto thus asks his friend, Tremelio, to kill Mucedorus, which Tremelio agrees to do, but Mucedorus dispatches him quickly. Upon Amadine and Mucedorus's arrival, Segasto becomes envious of Mucedorus, a lowly shepherd who is now honoured in court for his bravery. She thanks him and invites him to the court of Aragon. Segasto abandons Amadine, but she is rescued by Mucedorus, who appears wielding a sword and the bear's head. The original version of the play began with Segasto, who is bethrothed to Amadine, running in terror, swiftly followed by Amadine herself, from a bear that chases them across the stage. In his attempt to escape it, he advances backwards, only to trip over the bear and flee in terror. He enters having fled from feeding his master's horse, frightened by a bear, or "some devil in a bear's doublet" (1.2.3). The second additional scene introduces the clown of the play, Mouse. Mucedorus disguises himself, swears Amselmo to secrecy, and departs. Anselmo offers him the costume of a shepherd in which he has previously performed in a masque. In these scenes, the Prince of Valencia, Mucedorus, having heard that Amadine, the daughter of the king of Aragon, is extraordinarily beautiful, bids farewell to his friend Anselmo, revealing to him his plan to disguise himself in order to pursue her. The scenes usually labelled as act one, scenes one and two were new additions to the text with its Jacobean revision. Comedy challenges Envy to do so and claims that mirth will triumph in the end. Envy declares that he will turn this pleasant comedy into a tragedy. The play opens with an induction that consists of a meta-theatrical flyting between the allegorical personifications Comedy and Envy. Ī prologue was added to the play when it was performed for James I. 1590) and Peele's Old Wive's Tale (1595) belong to the same genre. Other proposed authors have included George Peele, Robert Greene, and Thomas Lodge. It is generally classified as apocryphal and not part of the main Shakespearean canon. Mucedorus has been attributed to William Shakespeare in whole and in part, but these theories are generally not accepted by Shakespeare scholars.
A revised and expanded version was published in 1610 with additional scenes. It was performed for both Queen Elizabeth and King James I. It was one of the most performed plays of its age, and 16 quarto editions were published between 15 making it the most widely printed play from the time. Title page of third quarto of Mucedorus (1610).Ī Most pleasant Comedie of Mucedorus the Kings Sonne of Valentia, and Amadine the Kinges daughter of Aragon, commonly called Mucedorus, is an Elizabethan romantic comedy, first performed around 1590 and regularly revived until the Restoration.