The Roman Empress

Last updated

The Roman Empress
The Roman Empress.jpg
Written byWilliam Joyner
Date premieredAugust 1670
Place premiered Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Original languageEnglish
GenreTragedy
Setting Ancient Rome

The Roman Empress is a 1670 tragedy by the writer William Joyner. It was first staged by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Contents

The original cast included Michael Mohun as Valentius, Edward Kynaston as Florus, Richard Bell as Honorius, Edward Lydall as Statilius, William Beeston as Macrinus, Rebecca Marshall as Fulvia, Elizabeth Knepp as Antonia, Marmaduke Watson as Hostilius, William Cartwright as Arsenius, Elizabeth Boutell as Aurelia and Katherine Corey as Sophonia. [1] The published version of the play was dedicated to the writer Charles Sedley.

Plot summary

The Emperor of Rome, Valentitius, is at war with his brother, who has attempted to usurp the throne. The Emperor's wife, Fulvia, attempts to seduce Florus, a Roman soldier and the Emperor's Favorite. When Fulvia fails, she resolves to take revenge by claiming that Florus forced himself upon her; Florus is promptly executed. Aurelia, Valentitius's niece and Florus's lover, has sworn Florus off after being told by her father that her lover killed her brother in battle. Upon discovering that her father lied to her in the hopes that she would cease to pursue Florus, she murders him. Afterwards, Sophonia, the Emperor's first wife- who, after being wrongfully accused of adultery, has been posing as the handmaid of Aurelia- commits suicide and leaves a note revealing her innocence as well as the fact Florus was her son, whom she, fearing that her own disgrace would endanger his life, passed off as a friend's child.

Influences

William Joyner states in his preface that The Roman Empress is partially modeled after Oedipus and Phaedra. Although he does not clarify which dramatizations of these myths he refers to, the scene between Fulvia and her nurse, Antonia, is clearly modeled after the second scene of Act I in Seneca's Hippolytus (which in the 21st century, is typically referred to as Phaedra). Interestingly, Sophonia's death greatly resembles that of Phaedra in the Hippolytus of Euripides.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phaedra (mythology)</span> Cretan princess in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Phaedra was a Cretan princess. Her name derives from the Greek word φαιδρός, which means "bright". According to legend, she was the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, and the wife of Theseus. Phaedra fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus. After he rejected her advances, she accused him of trying to rape her, causing Theseus to pray to Poseidon to kill Hippolytus, and then she killed herself.

<i>Hippolytus</i> (play) Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides

Hippolytus is an Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, based on the myth of Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The play was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy. The text is extant.

Iullus Antonius was a Roman magnate and poet. A son of Mark Antony and Fulvia, he was spared by the emperor Augustus after the civil wars of the Republic, and was married to the emperor's niece. He was later condemned as one of the lovers of Augustus's daughter, Julia, and killed himself.

Elizabeth Boutell, was a British actress.

<i>Tyrannick Love</i> Restoration heroic tragedy by John Dryden

Tyrannick Love, or The Royal Martyr is a tragedy by John Dryden in rhymed couplets, first acted in June 1669, and published in 1670. It is a retelling of the story of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and her martyrdom by the Roman Emperor Maximinus, the "tyrant" of the title, who is enraged at Catherine's refusal to submit to his violent sexual passion. Dryden reportedly wrote the play in only seven weeks.

<i>Amboyna</i> (play) Restoration heroic tragedy by John Dryden

Amboyna, or the Cruelties of the Dutch to the English Merchants is a tragedy by John Dryden written in 1673. Its subject is the Amboyna massacre and the death of Gabriel Towerson that took place on Ambon Island in 1623. Dryden reportedly wrote the play in the short space of a month; he wanted to produce a topical piece, since England was at that time at war with the Dutch Republic. It was dedicated to Lord Clifford, a member of the Cabal.

<i>Phaedra</i> (Seneca) Tragedy by Seneca the Younger

Phaedra is a Roman tragedy written by philosopher and dramatist Lucius Annaeus Seneca before 54 A.D. Its 1,280 lines of verse tell the story of Phaedra, wife of King Theseus of Athens and her consuming lust for her stepson Hippolytus. Based on Greek mythology and the tragedy Hippolytus by Euripides, Seneca's Phaedra is one of several artistic explorations of this tragic story. Seneca portrays Phaedra as self-aware and direct in the pursuit of her stepson, while in other treatments of the myth, she is more of a passive victim of fate. This Phaedra takes on the scheming nature and the cynicism often assigned to the nurse character.

The Richmond Heiress is a 1693 comedy play by the English writer Thomas D'Urfey.

Regulus is a 1692 tragedy by the English writer John Crowne. It portrays the career of Marcus Atilius Regulus, a Roman Consul at the time of the First Punic War. A separate play of the same title was written by William Havard in 1744.

<i>Don Sebastian</i> (play) Restoration tragedy by John Dryden

Don Sebastian, King Of Portugal is a 1689 tragedy by the English writer John Dryden. It is based on the reign of Sebastian of Portugal leading up to his defeat and death at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in 1578. An Elizabethan play The Battle of Alcazar also portrays the events.

Titus and Berenice is a 1676 tragedy by the English writer Thomas Otway. It portrays the relationship between the Roman Emperor Titus and the Jewish Queen Berenice. It premiered at the Dorset Garden Theatre, staged by the Duke's Company. It was inspired by Jean Racine's 1670 French work Bérénice.

The Massacre of Paris is a 1689 tragedy by the English writer Nathaniel Lee. It was first staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It is based around the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre which led the killing of many Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion. The events had previously been portrayed in Christopher Marlowe's Elizabethan play The Massacre at Paris.

<i>Theodosius</i> (play) 1680 play

Theodosius; Or, The Force Of Love is a 1680 tragedy by the English writer Nathaniel Lee. It was first staged by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre. It takes place during the reign of the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. Incidental music for the play was composed by Henry Purcell.

Gloriana; Or, The Court of Augustus Caesar is 1676 tragedy by the English writer Nathaniel Lee. It was first performed by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.

<i>A Fools Preferment</i> 1688 play

A Fool's Preferment; Or, The Three Dukes Of Dunstable is a 1688 comedy play by the English writer Thomas D'Urfey. It is a reworking of John Fletcher's Jacobean work The Noble Gentleman. It was first performed by the United Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. Henry Purcell composed the play's incidental music. It was his first major work composing for the theatre in seven years since Sir Barnaby Whigg.

<i>Love in a Wood</i> (play) 1671 play

Love in a Wood; Or, St James's Park is a 1671 comedy play by the English writer William Wycherley. His debut play, it was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the King's Company.

Edward Lydall was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. He was a member of the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. His first known performance was in 1668. He generally played supporting roles. His surname is sometimes written as Lidell.

<i>Nero</i> (play) 1674 play

The Tragedy of Nero, Emperour of Rome is a 1674 tragedy by the English writer Nathaniel Lee. It was originally performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the King's Company.

Constantine the Great is a 1683 tragedy by the English dramatist Nathaniel Lee. It is based on the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. It was first staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The epilogue was written by John Dryden.

References

  1. Van Lennep p.171

Bibliography