Gorboduc

The Tragedie of Gorboduc (often abbreviated as Gorboduc, and alternatively titled Ferrex and Porrex), is a 1561 play co-written by English authors Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. It is the first known verse drama to use the poetic form called blank verse, which refers to the use of unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter. A political play, it concerns the legendary Brittonic realm of Gorboduc, whose throne was fought over by Gorboduc’s sons, Porrex and Ferrex. The legend of Gorboduc was a sensitive topic during the play’s era, because it mirrored real-life anxieties regarding Queen Elizabeth I’s right to rule and to determine the rightful succession to her throne. The play borrows some plot elements from Seneca’s tragic plays, but is also considered to have distinctly departed from such earlier models; some scholars argue that it prefigures Shakespeare’s late-sixteenth-century plays King Lear and Titus Andronicus.

At the onset of the play, a narrator summarizes the legend of the King of Britain, Gorboduc. Gorboduc split his realm in half, giving half to each of his sons, Ferrex and Porrex. The sons squabbled over what they each thought was an unfair share given to the other brother. Ultimately, the younger Porrex killed the elder Ferrex; then their mother, Videna, killed Porrex to avenge her favorite son’s death. Then, the kingdom’s people, shocked by the bloodshed and malice displayed by their leaders, killed both Gorboduc and Videna. The kingdom then broke out in a civil war started by the nobility, who tried to preserve order by killing the initial rebels. For years afterward, the Britons suffered from famine and unrest, their population and dignity having both been demolished.

The play’s action begins. Gorboduc proclaims that he will divide his land between Porrex and Ferrex. His council members tell him that is a bad idea. To back up their warning, they cite the story of the cousins Cunedag and Morgan, who once ruled Britain together. When the two began to argue about the rightful ownership of the throne, they destroyed their relationship, and Cunedag bitterly killed Morgan. Gorboduc thanks his council for the warning, but proceeds with his idea anyway. Ferrex’s scheming advisor, Hermon, tells him to take Porrex’s portion of the kingdom the first chance he gets. Tyndar, Porrex’s advisor, tells Porrex that Ferrex intends to start a war against him. As a preemptive measure, Porrex invades Ferrex’s part of the kingdom; Ferrex perceives the invasion as confirmation of Hermon’s suspicion.



Dordan sends word to Gorboduc that the brothers are fighting. Gorboduc laments the fact that history has repeated itself, but declines to raise an army to intervene. Then, Nuntius enters, with word that Ferrex has been slain. Porrex seeks an audience with Gorboduc, explaining that he had no choice but to kill his brother, for Ferrex wanted to take his land. Gorboduc makes no final judgment about Porrex and Ferrex’s feud. However, that night, Gorboduc’s wife, Videna, goes to Porrex’s bedside and stabs him to death.

Outraged at the double murder, Gorboduc’s people blame Gorboduc for the death of Porrex, whom they loved. The noble class readies their arms to kill the rebels. At the same time, the line of succession is being debated. The Duke of Albany, Fergus, plots to seize the throne. He amasses an army with the help of his friends. The nobles kill the rebels just as Fergus’ army is raised. They label him a foreign enemy and vow to fight back. A nobleman, Arostus, tries to mediate the dispute through the controls of the government, proposing that Parliament decides the next King. In the play’s final scene, Eubulus laments the kingdom’s tragedy. He states that it could have been prevented had the kingdom simply relied on Parliament from the beginning. Unlike the original legend, the play concludes with optimism: Eubulus describes his vision of a future in which justice triumphs over greed. Sackville and Norton’s Gorboduc subverts the tragic story it is based on, showing that civilization can survive the failures of its individual members, no matter how powerful they are.