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Heroic drama

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20: 160:"Those who associate 'heroic drama' primarily with the use of the 'heroic couplet' usually set as its extent the years from 1664 to 1678. This, certainly, is its period of fullest development and authority. Those who prefer to accentuate the elements suggested by the very term 'heroic' rather than the strict rhymed verse form are willing to admit wider limits." Restoration plays by Sir 261:. The satire was successful enough that heroic drama largely disappeared afterwards. Buckingham attacked the stupidity of blustering, military heroes, as well as the apparent self-importance of attempting a dramatic entertainment about the serious subjects of military and national history. 107:(closed couplets in iambic pentameter). Second, the play must focus on a subject that pertains to national foundations, mythological events, or important and grand matters. Third, the hero of the heroic drama must be powerful, decisive, and, like 274:
interest in creating a "pure" drama. The character of Bayes is ludicrous more for his hubris in damning actual plays in favour of imagined ones than he is for being a poetaster.
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for the stage, that, as the epic was to other poetry, so the heroic drama was to other plays. Consequently, Dryden derived a series of rules for this type of play.
216:) did not match English theatrical history or practice. The emphasis on unities and on maintaining only Classically proscribed dramatic forms also came from 45:, distinguished by both its verse structure and its subject matter. The subgenre of heroic drama evolved through several works of the middle to later 1660s; 252: 244:, tragedy and satire, and so Dryden was seeking to square actual theatrical practice with an ancient framework for literature. 345: 130:
is often considered one of the better heroic tragedies, but his highest achievement is his adaptation (which he called
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was known to be fond of Spanish plays), and the hero, Almanzor, was a man of great martial prowess and temperament.
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critics. There was little dramatic critical theory for him to appeal to, and the new rules brought over from
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to the printed version of the play, Dryden argued that the drama was a species of
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Today, drama is divided up into numerous subgenres; Dryden, however, worked from
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followed all of these rules. The story was that of the national foundation of
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English Drama of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century, 1642–1780
192:, have been included in tighter or looser definitions of heroic drama. 152:
is a fine tragedy that transcends the usual limitations of the form.
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to the heroic formula. Other heroic dramatists were Nathaniel Lee (
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is partly Dryden's bombastic verse but, more pointedly, Dryden's
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The term "heroic drama" was invented by Dryden for his play,
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Heroes and States: On the Ideology of Restoration Tragedy
26:, who formulated and wrote the heroic drama in the 1670s. 195: 307:, Lexington, KY, University Press of Kentucky, 2000. 220:, who condemned the heterogeneity of the stage. 337: 292:Ideas of Greatness: Heroic Drama in England 18: 329:Nettleton, pp. 24-9; Waith, pp. 235-86. 253:George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham 338: 103:First, the play should be composed in 255:and others satirised heroic drama in 247: 264:Buckingham's criticism of Dryden in 320:, New York, Macmillan, 1914; p. 23. 155: 13: 196:Heroic drama in literary criticism 14: 377: 75: 111:, dominating even when wrong. 323: 310: 297: 284: 1: 277: 7: 10: 382: 294:, London, Routledge, 1971. 346:English Restoration plays 134:, 1678) of Shakespeare's 72:) were key developments. 316:George Henry Nettleton, 303:John Douglas Canfield, 208:(particularly those of 113:The Conquest of Granada 83:The Conquest of Granada 27: 184:, and later works by 136:Anthony and Cleopatra 22: 240:also wrote only of 224:had only spoken of 128:Conquest of Granada 52:The Indian Emperour 37:popular during the 248:Satirical response 28: 290:Eugene M. Waith, 373: 361:1670s in England 330: 327: 321: 314: 308: 301: 295: 288: 162:William Davenant 156:Other dramatists 149:Venice Preserv'd 140:The Rival Queens 65:The Black Prince 381: 380: 376: 375: 374: 372: 371: 370: 336: 335: 334: 333: 328: 324: 315: 311: 302: 298: 289: 285: 280: 250: 198: 158: 121:King Charles II 78: 17: 12: 11: 5: 379: 369: 368: 363: 358: 353: 348: 332: 331: 322: 309: 296: 282: 281: 279: 276: 249: 246: 197: 194: 190:Joseph Addison 178:Elkanah Settle 157: 154: 77: 76:Dryden in 1670 74: 16:Literary genre 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 378: 367: 364: 362: 359: 357: 354: 352: 349: 347: 344: 343: 341: 326: 319: 313: 306: 300: 293: 287: 283: 275: 273: 269: 268: 267:The Rehearsal 262: 260: 259: 258:The Rehearsal 254: 245: 243: 239: 235: 231: 227: 223: 219: 215: 211: 207: 203: 193: 191: 187: 186:Nicholas Rowe 183: 179: 175: 171: 170:Nathaniel Lee 167: 163: 153: 151: 150: 145: 141: 137: 133: 129: 124: 122: 118: 114: 110: 106: 101: 99: 98: 93: 89: 85: 84: 73: 71: 67: 66: 62: 61:Roger Boyle's 58: 54: 53: 48: 44: 40: 36: 33:is a type of 32: 25: 21: 325: 317: 312: 304: 299: 291: 286: 271: 265: 263: 256: 251: 218:Thomas Rymer 199: 166:Thomas Otway 159: 147: 144:Thomas Otway 139: 135: 132:All for Love 131: 127: 125: 112: 105:heroic verse 102: 95: 91: 90:). For the 81: 79: 63: 50: 31:Heroic drama 30: 29: 356:1670s plays 174:John Crowne 97:epic poetry 47:John Dryden 39:Restoration 24:John Dryden 340:Categories 278:References 182:John Banks 222:Aristotle 210:Corneille 202:Classical 126:Dryden's 272:personal 146:, whose 109:Achilles 366:Tragedy 234:tragedy 214:Boileau 92:Preface 43:England 41:era in 242:comedy 238:Horace 236:, and 232:, and 226:satire 206:France 180:, and 142:) and 59:) and 351:Drama 119:(and 117:Spain 230:epic 212:and 188:and 88:1670 70:1667 57:1665 35:play 49:'s 342:: 228:, 176:, 172:, 168:, 164:, 86:( 68:( 55:(

Index


John Dryden
play
Restoration
England
John Dryden
The Indian Emperour
1665
Roger Boyle's
The Black Prince
1667
The Conquest of Granada
1670
epic poetry
heroic verse
Achilles
Spain
King Charles II
Thomas Otway
Venice Preserv'd
William Davenant
Thomas Otway
Nathaniel Lee
John Crowne
Elkanah Settle
John Banks
Nicholas Rowe
Joseph Addison
Classical
France

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