The commanding presence of 16th-century explorer Martin Frobisher looms over much of the action in John Estacio and John Murrell’s new opera. The subject of the work’s “story within the story,” Frobisher also appears to the opera’s modern characters in dream sequences and visions. But who was Martin Frobisher, and why is his story still so compelling 500 years later?
Born in Yorkshire, England, in the late 1530s, Frobisher was descended from minor gentry. Headstrong and undisciplined, he was sent to sea as a teenager, where he quickly discovered an aptitude for privateering and near-piracy. Though what remains of Frobisher’s legacy is largely concerned with his exploration of northern seas, his early years were marked by sailing the fine line between civil and criminal behaviour, though he quickly built up a reputation as a strong commander.
The 16th century was a heady time for ambitious captains. With parts of the globe still uncharted, there were plenty of long-sought and mysterious locations to explore. One of the most attractive mysteries was the route known as the Northwest Passage. A fabled sea route among the islands north of what was then known as New France, it was hoped the passage would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and drastically cut the time required to travel from Europe to the Far East. Between the 16th and 20th century, explorers from England and Spain, including Henry Hudson, Francisco de Ulloa, and John Franklin, competed to find a way through the ice. The Passage was finally conquered in 1906 by famed Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen.
Between 1576 and 1578, Frobisher made three voyages to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. During his first venture, Frobisher and his crew returned to England with an Inuit captive and a piece of mysterious black rock that the captain hinted could contain gold ore. On his second and third voyages, the rock was proven worthless, and Frobisher ultimately returned without much to show for his efforts. He did manage to burnish his reputation for fearlessness and leadership in the face of appalling Arctic conditions.
Several years after returning from the Arctic, the explorer was able to salvage some of his earlier promise as a sea captain when the Spanish Armada began advancing on English waters in the 1580s. Enlisted to command one of the Queen’s ships, Frobisher had a distinguished career with the Royal Navy before he was killed in action against Spain in 1594.
The contradictions in Frobisher’s life — his self-interested pursuits that nonetheless led to great explorations and heroic deeds — make him an ideal character for the operatic stage. He was larger than life, and remains known today for his outsized dreams and passions.
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