Masque at Ashby Castle (original) (raw)

The Masque at Ashby Castle or Entertainment at Ashby was written by John Marston for Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon and performed at Ashby de la Zouch Castle for Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby in August 1607. Elements of the masque and entertainment at Ashby can be related to Alice, Countess of Derby's own Harefield Entertainment for Elizabeth I in 1602. At Ashby the masque celebrated the alleged transformative powers of the patron's mother-in-law.