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The Tempest is performed at court on 1 November 1611

The Revels accounts record The Tempest at court on Hallowmas Night, 1 November 1611. This is a dated performance of a play later printed only in the 1623 Folio. In the causal graph this event strengthens Social Cohesion, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

The Revels accounts record The Tempest at court on Hallowmas Night, 1 November 1611. This is a dated performance of a play later printed only in the 1623 Folio.

Context

The Tempest is a late play, often grouped with the romances, and later overloaded with colonial allegory. Colonial readings are interpretations, not extra events.

Why it matters

A late court play shows Shakespeare still supplying the company after the Globe fire was still two years away. Cohesion is repertory continuity.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • William Shakespeare

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.6 · verified

    The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Tempest at Whitehall; he was still a patented player and principal dramatist.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactThe Tempest is performed at court on 1 November 1611
    2. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Improving path

    impact weight 0.35 · Effect from 1 November 1611 · verified

    A late romance at court kept the company at the centre of household culture in James's reign.

    • Having a say in government

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.16 (weight 0.35 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Shakespeare Birthplace Trust — The TempestShakespeare Birthplace Trust · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Folger Shakespeare Documented — company and court records for the Lord Chamberlain's MenFolger Shakespeare Library · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

The Revels notice is the dated source. Birthplace Trust and Folger treat 1611 as the earliest firm performance. No 1611 printed text exists; absence of a quarto is itself evidence about the book trade, not about whether the play was staged. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

Established: 1 November 1611 court Tempest. Not established: that the play is an autobiography; that it is a colonial policy paper. Confidence high on the Revels date.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men performed Shakespeare's Tempest at Whitehall; he was still a patented player and principal dramatist. A late romance at court kept the company at the centre of household culture in James's reign. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

The event remains dated 1611-11-01.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorWilliam Shakespeare
  2. contributed toFactThe Tempest is performed at court on 1 November 1611
  3. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The Tempest is performed at court on 1 November 1611. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-tempest-court-1611

https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-tempest-court-1611

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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