Devil Actors

Devil Actors form a troupe of performers in Henry VIII's court who embody infernal tormentors in satirical masques. They target fallen figures like Cardinal Wolsey with exaggerated violence—dragging mock victims through painted flames, jabbing them with pitchforks, and hoisting them on nooses—drawing roars from nobles like Anne Boleyn and the Duke of Norfolk. Backstage, they shed costumes and revel in triumph. Their gleeful cruelty amplifies court schadenfreude, positioning them as agents of public humiliation amid Tudor power shifts.