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Emilia
Winner of the Noel Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy at the 2020 Olivier Awards
In 1611 Emilia Bassano wrote a volume of radical, feminist and subversive poetry. It was one of the first published collections of poetry written by a woman in England. The little we know of Emilia Bassano is restricted to the possibility that she may have been the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's Sonnets – and the rest of HerStory has been erased by History.
Morgan has taken what we know of Bassano, and her poetry, to create this lively, witty play.
In 1611 Emilia Bassano wrote a volume of radical, feminist and subversive poetry. It was one of the first published collections of poetry written by a woman in England. The little we know of Emilia Bassano is restricted to the possibility that she may have been the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's Sonnets – and the rest of HerStory has been erased by History.
Morgan has taken what we know of Bassano, and her poetry, to create this lively, witty play.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2018
18 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
September 10, 2018
It's impossible to extricate the text of this play from its earth-shaking performance at the Globe. The text just begs to be screamed into that cavernous O. There's nothing subtle about it, but who cares, we have had millennia of unsubtle men voicing their grievances on every stage in the world. Now a woman gets to air hers. And what a woman.
March 23, 2019
SHAKESPEARE: This is my gaff.
EMILIA 3: Not right now it isn't.
There's no point in talking abut this play without mentioning how it sat in the Globe. It felt genuinely incendiary to have this play on that stage, in all its bawdiness and brilliance. Emilia Bassano, possibly Shakespeare's 'Dark Lady' of the sonnets here gets her own story: a woman determined to prove her brilliance in a world that won't allow it.
It's agitprop with the subtlety of a sledgehammer - but that's rather the point. That last monologue (about the virtues and power of hate) left the theatre shaking.
The play is published with some of Bassano's poems, recontextualised away from the misogynistic introductions they have previously been given. Here, Emilia is allowed to roar with full voice.
EMILIA 3: Not right now it isn't.
There's no point in talking abut this play without mentioning how it sat in the Globe. It felt genuinely incendiary to have this play on that stage, in all its bawdiness and brilliance. Emilia Bassano, possibly Shakespeare's 'Dark Lady' of the sonnets here gets her own story: a woman determined to prove her brilliance in a world that won't allow it.
It's agitprop with the subtlety of a sledgehammer - but that's rather the point. That last monologue (about the virtues and power of hate) left the theatre shaking.
The play is published with some of Bassano's poems, recontextualised away from the misogynistic introductions they have previously been given. Here, Emilia is allowed to roar with full voice.
November 10, 2024
"Listen to us. Listen to every woman who came before you. Listen to every woman with you now. And listen when I say to you to take the fire as your own."
October 24, 2018
Bible for women about women. unbelievable writing.
October 5, 2022
i hate shakespheare so fucking much grrgrrrgrrr
May 28, 2019
3.5, rounded down.
Apparently seeing this in its original production at the Globe was a galvanizing experience, but not having had that pleasure, I can only evaluate the play on the basis of its script.... and while there is much to like therein, there are also some glaring 'problems'. Aside from just providing more roles, I am not quite sure the intent of dividing the lead character amongst three actresses - it would seem to dilute the power of the central performance rather than enhance it. And apparently having an all female cast enacting both genders provides some humour, but I think would also somewhat diminish the feminist 'message'.
My other major qualm is that, while the majority of the play is written in contemporary language, every now and then some Elizabethan writing (usually of Shakespearian origin) gets interpolated to jarring effect. While learning something of the woefully neglected character of Emilia Bassano is a worthy endeavor, since much of this is imagined from what little extant knowledge there is of her, I'm not sure how much can be taken for the truth. And although it is terrific that the script also contains some of the writings of the real Emilia as an appendix, I found these rather hard to get through. Nevertheless, a noble effort.
Apparently seeing this in its original production at the Globe was a galvanizing experience, but not having had that pleasure, I can only evaluate the play on the basis of its script.... and while there is much to like therein, there are also some glaring 'problems'. Aside from just providing more roles, I am not quite sure the intent of dividing the lead character amongst three actresses - it would seem to dilute the power of the central performance rather than enhance it. And apparently having an all female cast enacting both genders provides some humour, but I think would also somewhat diminish the feminist 'message'.
My other major qualm is that, while the majority of the play is written in contemporary language, every now and then some Elizabethan writing (usually of Shakespearian origin) gets interpolated to jarring effect. While learning something of the woefully neglected character of Emilia Bassano is a worthy endeavor, since much of this is imagined from what little extant knowledge there is of her, I'm not sure how much can be taken for the truth. And although it is terrific that the script also contains some of the writings of the real Emilia as an appendix, I found these rather hard to get through. Nevertheless, a noble effort.
April 2, 2022
This was really good. I loved the three different Emilias on stage symbolising different stages and emotions of her life. My reading experience was really pleasant and I would definitely recommend this.
July 17, 2022
A powerful read. I imagine this would be a wonderful production and would love to see it after reading this.
June 1, 2020
I was fortunate enough to see the play in London five times. It was the most beautiful play I have ever seen and made me feel every single emotion possible. It is fast paced, modern, quirky, imaginative and most importantly incredibly diverse. I have finally got the courage to read the playscript and I didn't realise how much of this play stuck with me and how I can still see it all now in my head. I love Emilia more than words can express and my gratitude to Morgan for writing this is endless. Emilia is rooted in my heart and soul forever. Now more than ever, the world needs more Emilias. Standing up for those who are being silenced, mocked and murdered by a society that needs to do better to protect them. Use your voices and don't stop now. Burn the whole fucking house down.
March 10, 2025
Emilia Bassano is said to be “The Dark Lady” in Shakespeare’s “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” but what is known of the woman herself besides being a subject of affection in the playwright’s poem?
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s play is a fascinating realization of the character of Emilia, living in an era in which women’s strive for self improvement and creative endeavours was not appreciated by society. Emilia introduces herself as a character that lives outside of traditional expectations and she challenges the patriarchy before her even if it means a possible death sentence.
In many ways, Emilia is a physical representation of the woman Virginia Woolf hypothetically deposits in “Shakespeare’s Sister.” However, in this instance, Emilia is Shakespeare’s lover and she is constantly asking herself the question as to why she can’t achieve the same goals as him and the answer is persistently unfair and devastating: because of her sex. In spite of this, Emilia sneaks her poems in magazines and builds a community of educated women that fight for change and she proves that women can write and be creative and make a difference.
Malcolm’s telling of Emilia is compelling, heart wrenching, and empowering. 5/5.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s play is a fascinating realization of the character of Emilia, living in an era in which women’s strive for self improvement and creative endeavours was not appreciated by society. Emilia introduces herself as a character that lives outside of traditional expectations and she challenges the patriarchy before her even if it means a possible death sentence.
In many ways, Emilia is a physical representation of the woman Virginia Woolf hypothetically deposits in “Shakespeare’s Sister.” However, in this instance, Emilia is Shakespeare’s lover and she is constantly asking herself the question as to why she can’t achieve the same goals as him and the answer is persistently unfair and devastating: because of her sex. In spite of this, Emilia sneaks her poems in magazines and builds a community of educated women that fight for change and she proves that women can write and be creative and make a difference.
Malcolm’s telling of Emilia is compelling, heart wrenching, and empowering. 5/5.
May 28, 2019
‘Oh come now. How many of these marriages are the product of love? If you do seek love, and I know that I do, then seek it in poetry. Seek it in verse. In words written and spoken. Seek it in the pursuit of beauty. In art. For that, is the only place that will ever hold true love for me.’
Oh Emilia. I feel honoured just to have read this. If you ever need a reminder to use your voice - this is it. Use it for all the women who fought to get us here with their unrelenting determination.
Oh Emilia. I feel honoured just to have read this. If you ever need a reminder to use your voice - this is it. Use it for all the women who fought to get us here with their unrelenting determination.
April 19, 2025
Empowering play for feminists.
Great characters and heartfelt.
Great characters and heartfelt.
January 17, 2022
This is one of the greatest plays I have ever read. I am awestruck by the writing and the contents of the play. It's thought provoking and moving all throughout. The blend of older text with today's words work on a level I haven't seen before. So moving and outstanding!
November 4, 2020
I’m just going to quietly assume this plays much better live amid the ra-ra energy of a crowd and the charisma of the players, but I don’t know. I find Shakespeare’s plays very impressive on paper, but then again they are 400-year-old works of time-defying genius. My standards may be touch high.
In any case, the play follows the life of Emilia Lanier née Bassano, a real-life published Elizabethan poet, the common law daughter of an Italian court musician Baptista Bassano and native Englishwoman Margaret Johnson, herself from a family of court musicians. Shortly after her mother’s death, Emilia became the mistress of Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, before falling pregnant and subsequently getting married “for color” to cousin Alonso/Alfonso Lanier. Despite this chicanery and Alfonso’s suckage at money management, Emilia was badass enough to get patronage and support from sympathetic noblewomen and at last manages to publish her own book of poetry, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum in 1611, the first for a female poet in England. On top of that, thanks to scholar A. L. Rowse, Emilia is still one of the most popular contenders for the mysterious Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets, finally eclipsing Mary Fitton of the nineteenth century. Very juicy stuff, rich with drama, and Malcolm’s play uses this material to its utmost, bringing flesh and life to this little-known figure and exploring the Dark Lady question with intelligence and plausibility—
Ha, just kidding. Morgan instead turns Lanier into a walking talking mouthpiece for contemporary feminist agitprop—not the intellectual systemic kind, mind, but the identity-politics all style-and-no-substance one. The conceit here is that Emilia is portrayed by three different black actresses throughout the stages of her life, reflecting on and bitterly commenting on the ways men have done her wrong, including Shakespeare, here egotistical and shallow. The rest of the characters are the dramatic equivalent of sticks holding up a paper with their two-note character traits written on it—patriarchy cheerleader, internalized misogyny, rich sugar daddy, horny player-player. (All telling and no showing; strange conceit for a stage play). There is no relationship in the play that feels authentic, to our time or to the Elizabethan one—almost all characters operate as foils, hindrances, obstacles, and occasional supports to Emilia, a solipsism more telling of our time than the Elizabethan one.
So instead of the long years with Lord Hunsdon and then his disappearing act, they are here and gone. Instead of Forman’s entitlement, we are given this height of male villainy: Shakespeare using Emilia’s (verbal) words and expressions for his plays, which just so happen to be word-by-word recitations. As a commoner and theater actor, Shakespeare was much less advantaged than Emilia, especially pre-1594, but of course this is never acknowledged; instead the burden of #checkingyourprivilege is shifted to a heavy-handed monologue between Lady Katherine and Emilia. Like most muses in this kind of fiction, Emilia explicitly tells Shakespeare, shopping-list style, how to write his own plays to make them more woman-friendly...by quoting his own proto-feminist lines at him. Like an ouroboros, this kind of nonsense eats itself.
All in all, a wasted opportunity. I know this was never meant to be a kitchen-sink realist play, but the vignette stream-of-consciousness felt particularly undercooked. As for raising Emilia’s stature as a poet, most of her actual words and poetry do not appear in the play aside from some nice verses and Lanier’s hardcore “Men, who forgetting they were born of women...” passage. Unfortunately I can’t really say it’s a loss, since her verse is pedestrian with only a few turns of phrases here and there. I can only recommend this verse from the Eton show Upstart Crow, which is much more entertaining than this, alas: “Emilia, Emilia--by God I’d like to feel ya!” Cute.
[Addendum: Not that it matters much in such a speculative, anachronistic work, but since this play concerns itself so much on uncovering the “real” Emilia, a survey of the historical evidence is in order. All in all, Emilia was probably not of African descent—Simon Forman, the doctor-astrologer whom Emilia met for a consultation and whose words were quoted in the beginning of the play, would have probably noted it. Elizabethans were hardcore colorists/proto-racists and Forman, keen on bedding Emilia and disappointed in that hope, would not have minced words. The confusion stems from Rowse’s initial misreading of Forman’s description of Emilia (“brave” as in showy or handsome) as “brown”—hence the Dark Lady identification. There is also mention of “black” Lanier-Bassano cousins in arrest records, but as the Elizabethans frustratingly did not distinguish between African black and just brunet, it could be merely a reference to their hair and eye coloring. Nicholas Hilliard’s (purported?) miniature portrait shows a snowy curly-haired subject with dainty features and a thin mouth.
Ditto for the supposed affair with Shakespeare—the Sonnets are notoriously contradictory, and amid the hairs-like-wires, dun breast, and black eyes like loving mourners the poet also bluntly states “in nothing are you black save in your deeds” (!). Early connection with Lord Hunsdon aside, which this play curiously did not explore, Emilia and Will did not run in the same social circles. Emilia’s husband Lanier was a soldier for Essex in the Cádiz expedition, though, whose follower was the Earl of Southampton—but that is stretching it. Emilia and Southampton, still a Fair Youth favorite, did not share any social ties either as far as I know. It’s still a possibility, considering the Emilias and Bassanios that litter Shakespeare’s Italian comedies, and especially the worldly, proto-feminist Emilia of Othello, which Malcolm does use to strong effect.
As for Emilia’s proto-feminism, it’s pretty mild by our standards, if radical for the time—mostly it’s a sharp eye for double standards and a marked emphasis on women’s contributions in history, as well as a centering of female perspectives. Culturally speaking, Emilia’s Italian heritage doesn’t figure in at all (there is a weird mourning song sung by Emilia 1 in either bad (old?) Spanish or some Iberian language, but it’s definitely not Italian) nor her possible Jewishness. Otherwise, Malcolm follows the paper trail for Emilia faithfully without much variation.]
In any case, the play follows the life of Emilia Lanier née Bassano, a real-life published Elizabethan poet, the common law daughter of an Italian court musician Baptista Bassano and native Englishwoman Margaret Johnson, herself from a family of court musicians. Shortly after her mother’s death, Emilia became the mistress of Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, before falling pregnant and subsequently getting married “for color” to cousin Alonso/Alfonso Lanier. Despite this chicanery and Alfonso’s suckage at money management, Emilia was badass enough to get patronage and support from sympathetic noblewomen and at last manages to publish her own book of poetry, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum in 1611, the first for a female poet in England. On top of that, thanks to scholar A. L. Rowse, Emilia is still one of the most popular contenders for the mysterious Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets, finally eclipsing Mary Fitton of the nineteenth century. Very juicy stuff, rich with drama, and Malcolm’s play uses this material to its utmost, bringing flesh and life to this little-known figure and exploring the Dark Lady question with intelligence and plausibility—
Ha, just kidding. Morgan instead turns Lanier into a walking talking mouthpiece for contemporary feminist agitprop—not the intellectual systemic kind, mind, but the identity-politics all style-and-no-substance one. The conceit here is that Emilia is portrayed by three different black actresses throughout the stages of her life, reflecting on and bitterly commenting on the ways men have done her wrong, including Shakespeare, here egotistical and shallow. The rest of the characters are the dramatic equivalent of sticks holding up a paper with their two-note character traits written on it—patriarchy cheerleader, internalized misogyny, rich sugar daddy, horny player-player. (All telling and no showing; strange conceit for a stage play). There is no relationship in the play that feels authentic, to our time or to the Elizabethan one—almost all characters operate as foils, hindrances, obstacles, and occasional supports to Emilia, a solipsism more telling of our time than the Elizabethan one.
So instead of the long years with Lord Hunsdon and then his disappearing act, they are here and gone. Instead of Forman’s entitlement, we are given this height of male villainy: Shakespeare using Emilia’s (verbal) words and expressions for his plays, which just so happen to be word-by-word recitations. As a commoner and theater actor, Shakespeare was much less advantaged than Emilia, especially pre-1594, but of course this is never acknowledged; instead the burden of #checkingyourprivilege is shifted to a heavy-handed monologue between Lady Katherine and Emilia. Like most muses in this kind of fiction, Emilia explicitly tells Shakespeare, shopping-list style, how to write his own plays to make them more woman-friendly...by quoting his own proto-feminist lines at him. Like an ouroboros, this kind of nonsense eats itself.
All in all, a wasted opportunity. I know this was never meant to be a kitchen-sink realist play, but the vignette stream-of-consciousness felt particularly undercooked. As for raising Emilia’s stature as a poet, most of her actual words and poetry do not appear in the play aside from some nice verses and Lanier’s hardcore “Men, who forgetting they were born of women...” passage. Unfortunately I can’t really say it’s a loss, since her verse is pedestrian with only a few turns of phrases here and there. I can only recommend this verse from the Eton show Upstart Crow, which is much more entertaining than this, alas: “Emilia, Emilia--by God I’d like to feel ya!” Cute.
[Addendum: Not that it matters much in such a speculative, anachronistic work, but since this play concerns itself so much on uncovering the “real” Emilia, a survey of the historical evidence is in order. All in all, Emilia was probably not of African descent—Simon Forman, the doctor-astrologer whom Emilia met for a consultation and whose words were quoted in the beginning of the play, would have probably noted it. Elizabethans were hardcore colorists/proto-racists and Forman, keen on bedding Emilia and disappointed in that hope, would not have minced words. The confusion stems from Rowse’s initial misreading of Forman’s description of Emilia (“brave” as in showy or handsome) as “brown”—hence the Dark Lady identification. There is also mention of “black” Lanier-Bassano cousins in arrest records, but as the Elizabethans frustratingly did not distinguish between African black and just brunet, it could be merely a reference to their hair and eye coloring. Nicholas Hilliard’s (purported?) miniature portrait shows a snowy curly-haired subject with dainty features and a thin mouth.
Ditto for the supposed affair with Shakespeare—the Sonnets are notoriously contradictory, and amid the hairs-like-wires, dun breast, and black eyes like loving mourners the poet also bluntly states “in nothing are you black save in your deeds” (!). Early connection with Lord Hunsdon aside, which this play curiously did not explore, Emilia and Will did not run in the same social circles. Emilia’s husband Lanier was a soldier for Essex in the Cádiz expedition, though, whose follower was the Earl of Southampton—but that is stretching it. Emilia and Southampton, still a Fair Youth favorite, did not share any social ties either as far as I know. It’s still a possibility, considering the Emilias and Bassanios that litter Shakespeare’s Italian comedies, and especially the worldly, proto-feminist Emilia of Othello, which Malcolm does use to strong effect.
As for Emilia’s proto-feminism, it’s pretty mild by our standards, if radical for the time—mostly it’s a sharp eye for double standards and a marked emphasis on women’s contributions in history, as well as a centering of female perspectives. Culturally speaking, Emilia’s Italian heritage doesn’t figure in at all (there is a weird mourning song sung by Emilia 1 in either bad (old?) Spanish or some Iberian language, but it’s definitely not Italian) nor her possible Jewishness. Otherwise, Malcolm follows the paper trail for Emilia faithfully without much variation.]
September 7, 2018
This play started strong and has an excellent first half. It’s intelligent and hilarious, and provides a look at little seen figures of Shakespearean times. The women are bold and passionate about their societal limitations.
It’s second half however fails to match the brilliance of the first, it becomes more of a political rally for women’s equality and freedoms, I’m in no way saying that is a bad thing, it is in fact very moving especially when seen live with a packed audience. But the older Emilia’s parts seem underwritten compared to the first, her anger and grief over takes her intelligence and she loses some of the character that made her so unique to begin with. Overall I just felt the plot and writing suffered slightly for the feminist message at the end here.
However I agree that this is an powerful and important play and the all women cast was a treat and definitely added to its comedy. I really feel the globe did the right thing making it an entirely inclusive play for women of colour and disability, allowing them to step into large parts in the centre of the plot; roles with the type of gravity they may not have been offered previously.
It’s second half however fails to match the brilliance of the first, it becomes more of a political rally for women’s equality and freedoms, I’m in no way saying that is a bad thing, it is in fact very moving especially when seen live with a packed audience. But the older Emilia’s parts seem underwritten compared to the first, her anger and grief over takes her intelligence and she loses some of the character that made her so unique to begin with. Overall I just felt the plot and writing suffered slightly for the feminist message at the end here.
However I agree that this is an powerful and important play and the all women cast was a treat and definitely added to its comedy. I really feel the globe did the right thing making it an entirely inclusive play for women of colour and disability, allowing them to step into large parts in the centre of the plot; roles with the type of gravity they may not have been offered previously.
August 27, 2020
“Search for this now and you won’t see it. Look for this in words and it won’t be there. Almost nothing is kept. Nothing is remembered. But in our muscles we feel it. Memories of intention. Memories of need and fury and pain. We hear the echoes bounding down the passage of time and into our dreams. We read what was recorded and we see what is missing. We see what they did not want us to write down.”
Re-read this for my current Year 10 iGCSE Drama groups - heads up ladies! And I cannot stress how significant and relevant this script is for a range of reasons which I will get to shortly.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm writes and creates characters who are fiery, rebellious and flawed (obviously I'm not saying this pejoratively). Her work is exciting and vibrant and complex making the process of dissecting/analysing and physically exploring texts fresh and fun, which I have found a somewhat tedious part of my job after working on the same texts since I was a secondary student myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely appreciate and understand the role of the classics in understanding history and style and purpose but lately the idea of what gets passed down to the next generation has played on my mind massively. So much of what we teach is dictated by exam boards but I am lucky that in my subject we do get to explore different texts, for the most part. If the same plays and authors continue to monopolise the classroom then how are we encouraging young people to take risks with their art and find new ways of expressing their ideas and their narratives? In short: I believe we need new plays and hers are deliciously layered enough to sink our teeth into.
The Globe commissioned Lloyd Malcolm to write this play about Shakespeare's 'dark muse' which bodes the question(s): do we really need Shakespeare to have appreciated this story? And whose stories get told and why? But I think what is more important to highlight is the fact that they have given us something new and something that has made us think. I can't roll my eyes hard enough for the amount of times people have said to me they "didn't get" the school production or a play I've recommended because the story was too complex to follow. While I can appreciate a cheerful classic, we can't keep feeding ourselves mindless entertainment - especially in school.
What resonates with me is the way in which Lloyd Malcom takes what little information we have about the 'Dark Lady of the Sonnets' and gives us a modern day feminist hero in the form of not one but 3 Emilias in the script. Presenting her in this plurative form captures the many roles and layers that come with the territory of being a woman. A poet, a mother, a feminist; she is radical, vulnerable and imperfect, which makes her so much more real. Her story moves from heartbreaking to sensual and funny, taking us on a whirlwind journey through the 1600s. Her final speech is glorious and fierce but the script is riddled with beautiful moments of heartbreak, desire and anger throughout - everything that makes a passionate woman and then some.
What was wonderful about reading the script both times is that I could so effortlessly envision how powerful and epic the different scenes could be staged (imagine something Hamilton-esque in design and ensemble numbers). Obviously, I missed out on what I've been told was the best production of 2019 but I'm hopeful it will be restaged again in the near future and even more hopeful about the stage doors being pulled wide open for new writers and new works such as this one.
Re-read this for my current Year 10 iGCSE Drama groups - heads up ladies! And I cannot stress how significant and relevant this script is for a range of reasons which I will get to shortly.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm writes and creates characters who are fiery, rebellious and flawed (obviously I'm not saying this pejoratively). Her work is exciting and vibrant and complex making the process of dissecting/analysing and physically exploring texts fresh and fun, which I have found a somewhat tedious part of my job after working on the same texts since I was a secondary student myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely appreciate and understand the role of the classics in understanding history and style and purpose but lately the idea of what gets passed down to the next generation has played on my mind massively. So much of what we teach is dictated by exam boards but I am lucky that in my subject we do get to explore different texts, for the most part. If the same plays and authors continue to monopolise the classroom then how are we encouraging young people to take risks with their art and find new ways of expressing their ideas and their narratives? In short: I believe we need new plays and hers are deliciously layered enough to sink our teeth into.
The Globe commissioned Lloyd Malcolm to write this play about Shakespeare's 'dark muse' which bodes the question(s): do we really need Shakespeare to have appreciated this story? And whose stories get told and why? But I think what is more important to highlight is the fact that they have given us something new and something that has made us think. I can't roll my eyes hard enough for the amount of times people have said to me they "didn't get" the school production or a play I've recommended because the story was too complex to follow. While I can appreciate a cheerful classic, we can't keep feeding ourselves mindless entertainment - especially in school.
What resonates with me is the way in which Lloyd Malcom takes what little information we have about the 'Dark Lady of the Sonnets' and gives us a modern day feminist hero in the form of not one but 3 Emilias in the script. Presenting her in this plurative form captures the many roles and layers that come with the territory of being a woman. A poet, a mother, a feminist; she is radical, vulnerable and imperfect, which makes her so much more real. Her story moves from heartbreaking to sensual and funny, taking us on a whirlwind journey through the 1600s. Her final speech is glorious and fierce but the script is riddled with beautiful moments of heartbreak, desire and anger throughout - everything that makes a passionate woman and then some.
What was wonderful about reading the script both times is that I could so effortlessly envision how powerful and epic the different scenes could be staged (imagine something Hamilton-esque in design and ensemble numbers). Obviously, I missed out on what I've been told was the best production of 2019 but I'm hopeful it will be restaged again in the near future and even more hopeful about the stage doors being pulled wide open for new writers and new works such as this one.
September 22, 2021
I wasn't a fan of the way the play sort of emulates "The Great", but I guess this is a style that a lot of people enjoy these days, and I can't object to it, really, except to say that I don't really enjoy it. This is an intriguing and necessary text in many ways, and one can see how it fit its venue perfectly.
The inclusion of Emilia Lanier's poems at the end of this volume would have been so cool, but they're not edited well. They're presented in their original 17th century English style and spelling without comment or direction. This is especially frustrating because the entire purpose of publishing the poems (according to the slight introduction) is to make them available to 21st century readers. As it is, they remain inaccessible to anyone but scholars accustomed to reading 17th century religious texts.
The inclusion of Emilia Lanier's poems at the end of this volume would have been so cool, but they're not edited well. They're presented in their original 17th century English style and spelling without comment or direction. This is especially frustrating because the entire purpose of publishing the poems (according to the slight introduction) is to make them available to 21st century readers. As it is, they remain inaccessible to anyone but scholars accustomed to reading 17th century religious texts.
February 13, 2023
"Listen to us. Listen to every woman who came before you. Listen to every woman with you now. And listen when I say to you to take the fire as your own." - Emilia Bassano in Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's Emilia.
Strikingly poignant, this play and its trio of Emilias will sit with you a long while after you finish. Just like Emilia Bassano's own plays, this play and its articulate protagonist(s) plants sparks of hope, acknowledges the bitter pains of being a woman in patriarchal structures, and only blazes brighter in the empowerment that comes when your voice resonates with others, no matter how long overdue. While I am quite the fan of expansive historiography and championing female voices, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's Emilia exceeds expectations through both devastating and joyous resonances of women's experiences.
Strikingly poignant, this play and its trio of Emilias will sit with you a long while after you finish. Just like Emilia Bassano's own plays, this play and its articulate protagonist(s) plants sparks of hope, acknowledges the bitter pains of being a woman in patriarchal structures, and only blazes brighter in the empowerment that comes when your voice resonates with others, no matter how long overdue. While I am quite the fan of expansive historiography and championing female voices, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's Emilia exceeds expectations through both devastating and joyous resonances of women's experiences.
January 8, 2019
One of those pieces of writing which makes you scream “yes!” and demand that it should be in every school curriculum. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm has cast a light upon a woman who has remained in the shadows of history, and not only does she demand that we remember Emilia Bassano, but she demands that we reevaluate our history, reassess our cultural heritage. Women’s history has been stifled for too long and Lloyd Malcolm has shown that there are so many interesting, thrilling and marvellous tales to tell which have until now been forgotten.
December 24, 2021
Similar to most plays that I’ve read, I feel I would need to say this staged to be able to fully appreciate it and to understand why certain choices were made. For example, it wasn’t clear to me how much was added by having three Emilias, as I feel if I was to see it, this would dissipate a lot of my feeling for the character. However, this may not happen if I was to actually see it. Regardless, a very interesting story that is very well written in a way that is able to interweave both older and newer language to give a play that is very accessible to everyone.
June 21, 2022
3.5??? Challenging experience of this. Really enjoyed the first act but the second act lost me a bit. The feminism in this piece, while is not necessarily doing anything wrong, very often amounted to “women should be able to write too,” and didn’t seem to push any nuances or intersectionalities on this (aka giving white feminism, and while the actual production featured many POC, very little of that shows in the text it’s elf). But there’s also a lot of exciting form things happening in this play so just a little torn.
February 1, 2024
"Just like we change our very natures
for them you can change your
words. Course you can! We do it
without even thinking it don't
we? We barely even blink. We
know from the moment we're
born that we must become
shapeshifters and tricksters. That
what we wear as our outer skin,
our masks, are there to shield
what we have kicking and tearing
inside us. This world works
against us but we're like some
kind of wily upstream swimmers
jumping and diving. We're born
with it. If we're lucky, like I was,
our mothers teach us it. We know
what to do. You know exactly
what to do; think round it. What
can women write?"
i love plays that have long poignant monologues on womanhood and also the line "are you ready to SLAY?"
for them you can change your
words. Course you can! We do it
without even thinking it don't
we? We barely even blink. We
know from the moment we're
born that we must become
shapeshifters and tricksters. That
what we wear as our outer skin,
our masks, are there to shield
what we have kicking and tearing
inside us. This world works
against us but we're like some
kind of wily upstream swimmers
jumping and diving. We're born
with it. If we're lucky, like I was,
our mothers teach us it. We know
what to do. You know exactly
what to do; think round it. What
can women write?"
i love plays that have long poignant monologues on womanhood and also the line "are you ready to SLAY?"
March 15, 2022
This play was POWERFUL!!! I would have loved to have seen this production. The use of the three Emilias was so well-done and impactful. This is a beautiful piece of female empowerment, and storytelling through the eyes of those who are generally overlooked. It was just so well-written and breathtaking (even without the visuals). The world staging it created in my head while reading was so interesting and poignant.
March 30, 2022
I really liked this and I’m so happy it was written. Emilia Lanier was a remarkable woman whose story deserves to be told and admired, and I’m so glad that this play was able to expand on her voice all these years later. It did a brilliant job of telling the story of her life with an empowering feminist message through a fun, modern style. The three Emilias, monologues and narration worked really well and made this feel original. I would love to be able to watch it live.
September 17, 2022
Excellent play, incredibly funny and painfully relatable for women. I wish I could see it performed.
The only downside is I can’t help but think how even more powerful it would have been written by a black woman. I think the globe missed something there.
The only downside is I can’t help but think how even more powerful it would have been written by a black woman. I think the globe missed something there.
May 6, 2023
“And if they try to burn you, may your fire be stronger than theirs so you can burn the whole fucking house down.”
This was my first Morgan Lloyd Malcolm play, and it won’t be my last. I’m wholeheartedly jealous of anyone who watched it at The Globe.
This was my first Morgan Lloyd Malcolm play, and it won’t be my last. I’m wholeheartedly jealous of anyone who watched it at The Globe.
March 26, 2024
This broke down walls and tickled ribs - beautiful, raw, funny.
“I hold in me a muscle memory of every woman who came before me and I will send more for those that will come after. For Eve. For every Eve.”
“I hold in me a muscle memory of every woman who came before me and I will send more for those that will come after. For Eve. For every Eve.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2019
"Look how far we have come already. Don't stop now."
June 8, 2019
4.5 Rounded up.
August 2, 2019
Really loved this. The script is clever and insightful, only hitting to on the nose a couple of times. Would love to see a good production, because it's easy to see how you could do it poorly.
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