Background
"In 1642 he broke out", as Denham's contemporary Edmund Waller remarks of him, "like the Irish Rebellion, threescore thousand strong, when nobody was aware, or in the least suspected it", in the play of the Sophy. [1]
| The Sophy | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Sir John Denham |
| Date premiered | 1641 |
| Genre | Revenge tragedy |
The Sophy is a revenge tragedy in blank verse written by Sir John Denham and first acted in 1641.
"In 1642 he broke out", as Denham's contemporary Edmund Waller remarks of him, "like the Irish Rebellion, threescore thousand strong, when nobody was aware, or in the least suspected it", in the play of the Sophy. [1]
Denham's source is Sir Thomas Herbert's account of the life of Abbas the Great of Persia in Some Yeares Travels into Divers Parts of Asia and Afrique, first published in 1634. [2]
A father suspecting and plotting against a dear and noble son; a son deprived of sight by the command of a father, and meditating in his rage and revenge the murder of his own favourite daughter, because she is beloved by his father; and the deaths of both son and father by poison, administered through means of a courtier who has betrayed both. Such are the main hinges on which the plot of the piece turns. [3]
Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim, known by his imperial name Jahangir, was the fourth Mughal emperor, who ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627. He was the third and only surviving son of Akbar and his chief empress, Mariam-uz-Zamani, born to them in the year 1569. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1641.
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Sir John Denham FRS was an Anglo-Irish poet and courtier. He served as Surveyor of the King's Works and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
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