Haphazardly Ambidextrous

Interpretations of the Vice of 16th-Century English Drama

Abstract

The paper examines the Vice character of English drama from non-cycle interludes - both interpretations of the character as well as Vices from specific plays, such as The Play of the Weather, Cambises, Appius and Virginia and others, and it argues for a complex view of the character, where his typical villainy, his humour and mockery and his histrionic skills form a unique merger, which is essential in understanding the figure. According to the argument the Vice may but does not have to sustain the moral message of the play, and examples are given for showing that his characteristic comedy is misunderstood as mere buffoonery or condemnable evil. Instead of trying to separate the dark and vicious Vice from the buffoonish evil who is not harmful, it is suggested that we take into account the strong connections between the Vice and the popular fool, and see the Vice as the specimen of the trickster-archetype.