''Edward and Eleonora'' is a 1739

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

by the British writer James Thomson. Originally due to be performed at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

in 1739, the play was banned by the censor, the

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...

Charles FitzRoy, Duke of Grafton, under the recent

Licensing Act Licensing Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used in the United Kingdom for legislation relating to licensing. List * Licensing Order of 1643, an Act imposing pre-publication censorship and prompting Milton to write ''Areopagitica''. ...

. This happened late into rehearsals in March 1739. The original cast was intended to feature

Dennis Delane Dennis Delane (died April 1750) was an Irish stage actor who appeared for many years at the leading London theatres. Beginnings in Dublin Delane was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and originally intended to become a lawyer.Highfill, Burni ...

as Edward,

Christiana Horton Christiana Horton (c. 1696 – c. 1756) was an English actress. She first appeared in London as Melinda in ''The Recruiting Officer'' in 1714 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Here she remained twenty years, followed by fifteen at the ...

as Eleanor,

James Rosco James Rosco (died 1761) was a British stage actor. His name is also written as James Roscoe. From 1722 to 1729 he acted at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. Moving to London he appeared at a variety of venues, including the Drury Lane and Haymar ...

as Gloucester and

Lacy Ryan Lacy Ryan (c. 1694–1760), English actor, appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709. Life By 1718 he had joined the company at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he shared the lead with his friend James Quin. He took leading roles in ''Richard ...

as the Sultan. Thomson was closely identified with the

Patriot Whigs The Patriot Whigs, later the Patriot Party, were a group within the Whig Party in Great Britain from 1725 to 1803. The group was formed in opposition to the government of Robert Walpole in the House of Commons in 1725, when William Pulteney (l ...

opposed to the government of

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...

. His play, ostensibly about

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

and his wife

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

during the

Ninth Crusade Lord Edward's crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward, Duke of Gascony (future King Edward I of England) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was ...

, was viewed as an attack on Walpole's policies and personal corruption. Because the play begins with Edward as a patriotic

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

compared favourably to his father Henry III, similarities were drawn with the strained relationship between

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

and his son

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

who was a backer of the Patriot Whigs. Thomson dedicated the published version of the play to Frederick's wife Augusta. The play finally premiered at Covent Garden on 18 March 1775, many years after Thomson's death. The cast included

Thomas Hull Thomas Hull may refer to: *Thomas Hull (actor) (1728–1808), English actor and dramatist * Thomas Hull (MP) (1528–1575/1576), English politician * Thomas Gray Hull (1926–2008), American judge *Tom Hull (American football) (born 1952), American ...

Robert Bensley Robert Bensley (c. 1740 – 1817) was an 18th-century English actor, of whom Charles Lamb in the ''Essays of Elia'' speaks with special praise. Life His early life is obscure, but his family was not poor: an uncle, Sir William Bensley, was ...

Ann Street Barry Ann Street Barry aka Ann Dancer later Ann Crawford (1734 – 29 November 1801), was a British singer, dancer and stage actress. Life Barry was born in Bath, England, to an apothecary named James Street. Her brother, William Street, later became ...

and

Isabella Mattocks Isabella Mattocks (1746 – June 25, 1826) was a British actress and singer. Early life Hallam (later Mattocks) was baptised in Whitechapel in 1746 by Lewis and Sarah Hallam Douglass. Her father and her uncle William were also actors.Jared Brown ...

. It ran for seven performances.Wilson p.180

References

Bibliography

* Baines, Paul & Ferarro, Julian & Rogers, Pat. ''The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing, 1660-1789''. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Eighteenth Century Drama: 1700-1750''. CUP Archive, 1927. * Wilson, Brett D. ''A Race of Female Patriots: Women and Public Spirit on the British Stage, 1688-1745''. Lexington Books, 2012. 1739 plays Tragedy plays West End plays Plays by James Thomson Cultural depictions of English monarchs Cultural depictions of princes Edward the Black Prince Plays set in the 14th century Plays set in England Biographical plays about English royalty {{18thC-play-stub