The Rival Queens

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The Rival Queens
Bodleian Libraries, Playbill of Covent Garden, Saturday the 31st of January 1747, announcing The rival queens; or, The death of Alexander the Great &c..jpg
1747 Covent Garden playbill
Written byNathaniel Lee
Date premiered17 March 1677
Place premieredTheatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Original languageEnglish
GenreTragedy

The Rival Queens, or the Death Of Alexander the Great is a Restoration tragedy written by Nathaniel Lee c. 1677.[1] Regarded as one of his best tragedies, the play revolves around Alexander the Great and his two wives, Roxana and Statira, whose competition for his affections ends in tragedy. The play was largely influenced by French dramatist La Calprenède's historic romance Cassandre.

Performance history[]

The play was first performed at the Theatre Royal in London[2] by the King's Company. The original cast included Charles Hart as Alexander, Michael Mohun as Clytus, Philip Griffin as Lysimachus, Thomas Clark as Hephestion, Cardell Goodman as Polyperchon, Edward Kynaston as Cassander, Martin Powell as Philip, John Wiltshire as Thessalus, Edward Lydall as Perdiccas, Marmaduke Watson as Eumenes, Carey Perin as Meleager, John Coysh as Aristander, Katherine Corey as Sysigambis, Elizabeth Boutell as Statira and Anne Marshall as Roxana.[3]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Lee, Nathaniel. The rival queens, or, the death of Alexander the Great acted at the Theater-Royal by their majesties servants. The Text Creation Partnership.
  2. ^ Armistead, J. M. (2004). "Lee, Nathaniel (1645x52–1692), playwright and poet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16301.
  3. ^ Van Lennep p.255

Bibliography[]

  • Van Lennep, W. The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960.
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