The beginning of the year 1601 brought about the first performance of the play Cynthia's Revels by Ben Jonson. To place this into the timeline of Shakespeare's plays, Cynthia's Revels occurred after Hamlet (1600) but before Twelfth Night (later in 1601). The play is a comical satire about life in a fictional royal court. Jonson assigned the alternate title The Fountain of Self-Love to the play. This reflects the play's premise that courtiers are so caught up in self-admiration that they remain out of touch with the world around them. In the play, not even Cupid's arrows, which can instantly trigger one person falling in love with another, are enough to move the courtiers away from their focus on themselves.

The first performance was for the reigning monarch, Elizabeth I, and it is widely believed that the name Cynthia was a direct reference to the queen. Elizabeth I was often regarded as a goddess figure, associated with classical mythology. In Roman mythology, two different names were used for the Goddess of the Hunt: Diana and Cynthia. The equivalent figure in Greek mythology was Artemis.

One question is how the play was successfully licensed, given that it appears to have the following issues:

1. focuses on denigrating life in court
2. has an excessively silly presentation
3. has parts that are critical of the "Cynthia" character

The first point was mentioned earlier. To analyze the second and third points, some brief excerpts from the play will be of interest. The plan begins with boy actors stating the whole plot. This was not, in any sense, a common feature of plays from this time period. Clearly, stating the plot removes any element of suspense and lets the audience know exactly how every situation and action will be resolved. For example:

Boy Actor 1: I will go tell all the Argument of his Play aforehand, and so stale his Inuention to the Auditory before it come foorth.
Boy Actor 2: O do not so.
Boy Actor 3: By no meanes.
Boy Actor 1: First the Title of his Play is CYNTHIAS Reuels, as any man (that hath hope to be sau'd by his Booke) can witnesse; the Scene, GARGAPHIA: which I do vehemently suspect for some Fustian Countrey; but let that vanish. Here is the Court of Cynthia; whither he brings Cupid (trauailing on foote) resolu'd to turne Page: By the way Cupid meetes with Mercury, (as that is a thing to be noted, take any of our Play-bookes without a Cupid, or a Mercury in it, and burne it for an Heretique in Poetry) -- Pray thee let me alone: Mercurie, he, (in the nature of a Coniurer) rayses up Echo: who weepes over her Loue, or Daffodill Narcissus, a little; sings; cursses the Spring wherein the pretty foolish Gentleman melted himself away: and there is an end of her -- Now, I am to informe you, that Cupid, and Mercury do both become Pages: Cupid attends on Philautia, or Selfe-loue, a Court-Lady: Mercury followes Hedon the voluptuous Courtier; one that rankes himself even with Anaides, or the impudent Gallant, ....

An excerpt from later in the play is:

Of all Nimphs in the Court I cannot away with her: it is the coursest thing -- I wounder how Cynthia can affect her so above the rest! Here be they are euery way as faire as she, and a thought, fayrer, I trow. Aye, and as ingenious, and conceipted as she. Aye and as politique as she, for all she sets such a Fore-head on it. Would I were dead if I would change to be Cynthia.

One possibility is that Jonson had an excellent understanding of the Queen's tastes and knew that this level of poking fun would be fine. The advance statement of the plot might not be a ridiculous literary device, but instead a careful attempt to assure the audience that the poking of fun would only go so far, and that nothing excessively critical of the Queen would take place. An alternate interpretation is that Cynthia's Revels is an assertion of power by Jonson. He was well-connected politically, and could thus take more risks with the content of his plays than could a typical playwright. As long as it was clear than Jonson remained a supporter of monarchy, isolated jabs at the ruling class were not going to bring retribution down upon him.

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