Lucius Junius Brutus (play)

Lucius Junius Brutus; Father of his Country is a Restoration tragedy play by Nathaniel Lee from 1680. It depicts the life of Roman statesman Lucius Junius Brutus.[1] It was first staged at the Dorset Garden Theatre by the Duke's Company.

Lucius Junius Brutus
Written byNathaniel Lee
Date premiered8 December 1680
Place premieredDorset Garden Theatre, London
Original languageEnglish
GenreTragedy

The original cast included Thomas Betterton as Lucius Junius Brutus, William Smith as Titus, Joseph Williams as Tiberius, John Wiltshire as Collatinus, Thomas Gillow as Valerius, Henry Norris as Horatius, William Fieldhouse and Thomas Percival as Fecilian Priests, James Nokes as Vindicius, Thomas Jevon as Fabritius, Mary Slingsby as Sempronia, Mary Betterton as Lucretia and Elizabeth Barry as Teraminta.[2] It was published the following year by Jacob Tonson, and dedicated to the Earl of Dorset.

Reception

The play became controversial at court and was suppressed after its third performance due to some lines from the character of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (last king of Rome) that were taken to be a reflection on King Charles II.[3]

Legacy

It served as an inspiration for the play The Tragedy of Brutus; or, The Fall of Tarquin by John Howard Payne.[4]

References
  1. Psychological Myth as Tragedy: Nathaniel Lee's "Lucius Junius Brutus". Huntington Library Quarterly
  2. Van Lennep, W. The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. p.292-293
  3. Terry Trainor. Bedlam. St. Mary of Bethlehem
  4. Tice L. Miller; Entertaining the Nation: American Drama in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries - page: 51
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