''The Fall of the Earl of Essex'' is a 1731

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 writer James Ralph. It was inspired by Restoration-era drama '' The Unhappy Favourite'' by John BanksNicoll p.350 about the downfall of the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, a military commander and former favourite of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

. It was performed at the

Goodman's Fields Theatre Two 18th century theatres bearing the name Goodman's Fields Theatre were located on Alie Street, Whitechapel, London. The first opened on 31 October 1727 in a small shop by Thomas Odell, deputy Licenser of Plays. The first play performed was G ...

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, then attempting to challenge the two patent theatres of London. The original cast included

Henry Giffard Henry Giffard (1694–1772) was a British stage actor and theatre manager. Early life Although there is some uncertainty about his early years, he is described as being the son of William Giffard. Born in London – in Lincoln's Inn Fields by s ...

as Essex,

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 Southampton,

William Giffard William Giffard (died 23 January 1129),Franklin "Giffard, William" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II and Henry I, from 1093 to 1101,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 8 ...

as Burleigh,

Anna Marcella Giffard Anna Marcella Giffard (1707-1777) was an Irish stage actress. She was a member of the Lyddal acting family of Dublin, and began appearing herself at the Smock Alley Theatre under the name of Nancy Lyddal in the 1720s. In around 1728 she married ...

as Lady Essex and

Henrietta Morgan Henrietta Morgan or Henrietta Maria Morgan was a British stage actress of the eighteenth century. She was billed as Mrs Morgan. She was married to the actor Robert Morgan, appearing alongside him at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre where they were p ...

as Lady Nottingham.

References

Bibliography

* Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700–1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Eighteenth Century Drama: 1700–1750''. CUP Archive, 1927. 1731 plays Tragedy plays Plays by James Ralph Plays based on real people Plays set in London Plays set in the 1590s Cultural depictions of earls Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I Plays based on actual events {{18thC-play-stub