The life and death of Cardinal Wolsey by George Cavendish as a tragedy in the "Fall of princes" tradition

Abstract

George Cavendish’s Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey has been loosely linked with the "Fall of Princes" tradition, but no one has analyzed this connection in depth. This thesis examines various aspects of the changing "Fall of Princes" tradition as they appear in the biography.

The first chapter compares the structure and philosophy of the Life with the structure and three major philosophies of Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium, John Lydgate's Fall of Princes, and The Mirror for Magistrates. The second chapter determines if the adopts the purpose of the Mirror, which is to teach Tudor political philosophy. The third chapter compares the Life with Thomas Churchyard’s "Cardinal Wolsey" in relation to their point of view, plot, and main character, to demonstrate how the book surpasses this representative poem of the "Fall of Princes" tradition.

The study concludes that Cavendish includes in the Life elements of all three philosophies but clings strongly to the oldest, that the uncertainty of active life should discourage man from riding on Fortune's wheel. He also teaches political philosophy, although not primarily. Most important, Cavendish wrote the biography of Wolsey with skill and sympathy, making its subject capable of tragic suffering.