Deborah Harkness has enchanted a generation of readers with her dark academia All Souls series, adapted by Sky as A Discovery of Witches. Following a witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) and vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) who investigate why the supernatural population is diminishing, it is a tale woven with alchemy, romance and politics.
In the second season of A Discovery of Witches (as in the book Shadow of Night), the characters visit Elizabethan London, rooting this fictional tale within real history. As a result, many of the cast portrayed real people who lived in the 16th century. Let’s look at who some of them were and how they affected society.
Mathew Roydon and the School of Night
When the protagonists first enter 1590, Matthew Clairmont uses the name Mathew Roydon. In real life, scholars and scientists were allegedly members of the School of Night, one of whom was the secretive poet Roydon. Diana, shocked to hear Clairmont using the name, notes that Roydon is “the only member of the [School of Night] group that we know nothing about.” As she has spent her life researching the past, her familiarity with the group comes as no surprise. She is certain they exist, which suggests that in the All Souls universe the members definitely met. Real records do not indicate that all the men were truly acquainted.
Since we don’t know much about the real-life Roydon, he’s the ideal character for Harkness to fictionalise as the infamous vampire. Dealing with gaps in history in such a way means the author does not alter the past. She simply offers fictional explanations to any unanswered questions.
Sir Walter Raleigh (played by Michael Lindall)
“He secretly married one of the Queens’ ladies-in-waiting, much to her Majesty’s displeasure, which landed Raleigh and his family in the Tower.”
Sir Walter Raleigh was presumably at the centre of the group and often referred to as Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite. Thus, he gained considerable influence within the court where he served in Parliament and as Captain of the Guard. His downfall began when he secretly married one of the Queens’ ladies-in-waiting, much to her Majesty’s displeasure, which landed Raleigh and his family in the Tower. During his many imprisonments, he studied chemistry, history and wrote poetry.
To a reader and viewer of A Discovery of Witches, Raleigh’s story should feel familiar. It bears some resemblance to Matthew Clairmont (Roydon at this time) who comes back from the future with a new bride on his arm. This shifts his focus off of his mission as the Queen’s spy. Naturally, the real vampire Roydon does not know that his 21st century counterpart infiltrated his life.
Christopher Marlowe (played by Tom Hughes)
Christopher Marlowe was a renowned poet and playwright. His success meant a great deal to him, which provokes a sombre conversation with Matthew, who does not divulge any information about Marlowe’s fate citing “No man should know his future.”
Harkness’ genius craft once again shines through in her fictionalised version of Marlowe. Due to the mysterious circumstances of his real death, the author had the freedom to carry on his story.
In her interview with ThatFictionLife, Harkness confirmed that the moment in history that she was most fond of adapting was “Imagining what had really happened to Christopher Marlowe and what the relationship was like with all those brilliant young men who surrounded Marlowe. Whenever I find a place where the historical records stop, that’s when I like to imagine my fiction into those spaces”.
In the All Souls world, Marlowe is also a daemon. Because daemons are highly skilled and gifted individuals, it is apt that one of the most talented literary figures of the 16th century should happen to be one. In the real 1590s, Marlowe made significant contributions to the legacy of Elizabethan culture by publishing his debut plays to great success.
Mary Sidney (played by Amanda Hale)
Mary Sidney was a skilled poet, translator and publisher. While opportunities for women were scarce at the time, she manoeuvred her circumstances to her advantage. In the series, she divulges to Diana that she is privileged to enjoy the resources and social standing to pursue her passions.
As a working woman, Sidney knew to centre her writing on religion to avoid scrutiny. It is therefore logical why on A Discovery of Witches she is adamant about becoming involved with magic. Above all, she needed to maintain quite a placid image as to not attract any unwanted attention.
Elizabeth I of England (played by Barbara Marten)
“In history, Elizabeth often hired spies to ensure the security of the realm.”
Queen Elizabeth makes key appearances in the series and she’s a figure who has shown up in many past pop culture projects. Yet Harkness presented us with a unique story by entrenching the monarch in the fantasy genre. Literary trailblazers (as mentioned above) gained a lot of prominence in the Elizabethan era. The time period is famous for its impact on culture.
In season two, Matthew and the Queen engage in a few conversations reiterating Matthew’s influence within her court. In history, Elizabeth often hired spies to ensure the security of the realm as she was a quite suspicious person. Hence, it is entirely believable Mathew Roydon could have been one of the said spies, especially considering the access that the other members of the School of Night had to the court.
Matthew calls the Queen ‘Gloriana’ in the series, which is a reference to Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’. Ergo, this addresses her real-life legacy as the ‘Immortal Queen’.
You can stream A Discovery of Witches on NOW TV/Sky in the UK and on Shudder in the US.
Olivia Gacka
Featured image courtesy of Olivia Gacka.
Olivia Gacka
Olivia is a freelance writer and content creator. She is currently heading ThatFictionLife across all platforms, specialising in entertainment reporting, interviewing talent, book discussions and television commentary. At present, she is also a Brand Ambassador for Bonnier Books UK, working on book campaigns.
Very poor research you only picked out a couple of the well known faces there are many real people in ADOW
I am aware, hence why I stated that only some will be mentioned. To analyse all 21 characters, it would require an entire novel which Deborah Harkness has already written perfectly. I selected ones which were important to me as I discussed them with the author in our interview.