''The Assignation, or Love in a Nunnery'' is a Restoration comedy written by John Dryden. The play was first acted late in

1672 Events January–March * January 2 – After the government of England is unable to pay the nation's debts, King Charles II decrees the Stop of the Exchequer, the suspension of payments for one year "upon any warrant, secur ...

, by the King's Company at their theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields, but was not a success with its audience. Apart from the question of the play's quality — many critics have regarded it as a rush job, written mainly in prose with some blank verse — Dryden was suspected of anti-Catholic satire, especially in his choice of a subtitle. This was a sensitive issue at the time, given strong Catholic sympathies among some elements of the royal court — primarily the Duke of York, the future King

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

. The cast of the original production included Michael Mohun as the Duke of Mantua, Edward Kynaston as Prince Frederick, Charles Hart as Aurelian,

Joseph Haines Joseph Haines (died 4 April 1701), also known as Jo Haines, was a 17th-century actor, singer, dancer, guitar player, fortune teller, and author. ''The Life of the Late Famous Comedian, Jo. Hayns'', possibly written by fellow player Tobias Thoma ...

as Benito, William Cartwright as Mario, and

Nicholas Burt Nicholas Burt (1621 ? — after 1689), or Birt or Burght among other variants, was a prominent English actor of the seventeenth century. In a long career, he was perhaps best known as the first actor to play the role of Othello in the Restora ...

as Camillo. The role of Hyppolita, the nun, was taken by Mary Knep;

Rebecca Marshall Rebecca Marshall ( fl. 1663 – 1677) was a noted English actress of the Restoration era, one of the first generation of women performers on the public stage in Britain. She was the younger sister of Anne Marshall, another prominent actress of ...

played Lucretia,

Elizabeth James Elizabeth James was an English stage actress of the seventeenth century. She was a member of the King's Company, based at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Several of her known performances were in the premieres of work by John Dryden. She also featu ...

was Sophronia, Elizabeth Boutell was Laura and

Elizabeth Cox Elizabeth "Betty" Cox was an English stage actress of the seventeenth century. Life Her debut was in March 1671 when she acted Lydia in William Wycherley's '' Love in a Wood'', for the King's Company, based at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.Hi ...

was Violetta. Dryden drew plot material from a play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca titled ''Con quien vengo vengo.'' ''The Assignation'' was published in quarto in

1673 Events January–March * January 22 – Impostor Mary Carleton is hanged at Newgate Prison in London, for multiple thefts and returning from penal transportation. * February 10 – Molière's ''comédie-ballet'' ''The Imagi ...

by Henry Herringman. Dryden dedicated the play to Sir

Charles Sedley Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet (March 1639 – 20 August 1701), was an English noble, dramatist and politician. He was principally remembered for his wit and profligacy.. Life He was the son of Sir John Sedley, 2nd Baronet, of Aylesford in K ...

.Steven N. Zwicker, ed., ''The Cambridge Companion to John Dryden'', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004; p. 207. The play was republished in 1678 and 1692.

References

Plays by John Dryden English Restoration plays Restoration comedy 1672 plays Plays set in the 17th century Adaptations of works by Pedro Calderón de la Barca {{17thC-play-stub

See also

References