‘A new foundation:’ Anna of Denmark, Ben Jonson and the impact of her masques

This essay addresses the arrival of the empowered female character on the early Jacobean stages via a consideration of the impact of Anna of Denmark’s masqueing. It argues that the masques Ben Jonson created for the queen and her coterie, and the characterisations in particular, both influenced and reflected gender behaviours in London. This can be seen most strikingly in Jonson’s play Epicene, written immediately after he had collaborated with the queen, which illustrates Anna’s influence on Jonson’s newfound interest in gender and indeed gender fluidity in his characters. It concludes that the appearance of a different type of female character on the Jacobean stages c1610 should be ascribed to Anna’s dramatic influence.