Arcades

Arcades is a masque written by John Milton and performed on 4 May 1634. The piece was written to celebrate the character of Alice Spencer, the Countess Dowager of Derby, widow of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, during her 75th birthday. The masque distinguishes Spencer as superior to other noble women by titling her queen of a metaphorical Arcadia. The piece served as a basis for Milton's later masque, Comus.

Background

Spencer's family invited Milton to write a masque for a celebration to honour her on her 75th birthday, 4 May 1634. This arrangement was made possible through the intervention of Henry Lawes, the Earl's music tutor for his children, and friend to Milton's father. Milton wrote Arcades and the piece was performed at the Harefield estate. This masque established many themes and ideas later developed in his other masque, Comus.

Masque

The masque begins by praising the countess and describes her in royal terms during the first song:

Genius continues this idea and emphasizes that she was:

According to Genius, sirens, similar to the muses, create a music that fills the senses:

Genius describes how he, unlike mortals, is able to hear the song of the sirens and the song compelled him to an innocent rapture along with the Fates who are also seduced by the siren song:

Her magnificence is further distinguished from any others during the second song:

This is compounded by the third song declaring that other queens are below her status and concluding the masque:

Themes

Arcades sought to draw upon pastoral elements and mocked the pastoral Caroline traditions of Henrietta Maria of France. Instead of following traditional themes inherent in the genre that welcome guests, the guest characters in the masque seek to praise the Countess who is guided by the spirit Genius. Genius is not a unique figure in Miltonic poetry and he is similar to a demon or Thyrsis in Comus because he relies on divine music for an earthly purpose.

The masque portrays a powerful female character at the centre of the plot. Although he does not say that she is part of the surrounding social context, especially one that could be seen in a negative light, she does have direct connections to classical female divinities, such as Cybele and Latona, who have established divine families. The female figure is not only a mother of her family; she is also mother of a greater version of Arcady. In her position, the people and spirits of the land honour her for her greatness.