''The Mourning Bride'' is a

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 ...

written by British playwright

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...

. It premiered in

1697 Events January–March * January 8 – Thomas Aikenhead is hanged outside Edinburgh, becoming the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy. * January 11 – French writer Charles Perrault releases the book '' Histoires o ...

at Betterton's Co., Lincoln's Inn Fields. The play centers on Zara, a queen held captive by Manuel, King of Granada, and a web of love and deception which results in the mistaken murder of Manuel who is in disguise, and Zara's also mistaken suicide in response.

Quotations

There are two very widely known quotations in the play; from the opening to the play: :''Music has charms to soothe a savage breast'',From text a

See als
Quotes from ''The Mourning Bride''
The word "breast" is often misquoted as "beast" and "has" sometimes appears as "hath". Also often repeated is a quotation of Zara in Act III, Scene II: :'' Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd,'' :''Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd.'' This is usually misquoted as "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Potentially anticipating Congreve,

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling ...

's play Love's Last Shift in 1696: :''He shall find no Fiend in Hell can match the fury of a disappointed Woman!'' :''- Scorned! slighted! dismissed without a parting Pang!''

Notes

References

*Erskine-Hill, H., Lindsay, A. (eds), ''William Congreve: The Critical Heritage'', Routledge (1995). *Congreve, W., ''The Works of Mr. Congreve: Volume 2. Containing: The Mourning Bride; The Way of the World; The Judgment of Paris; Semele; and Poems on Several Occasions'', Adamant Media (2001), facsimile reprint of a 1788 edition published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. *McKenzie, D., ''The Works of William Congreve: Volume I'', OUP Oxford (2011), v. 1, pp. 5–94. *Congreve, William (1753). The Mourning Bride: A Tragedy. Dublin: J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper in the Strand. p. 46. https://books.google.com/books?id=U3ACAAAAYAAJ Retrieved 18 Aug. 2017.

External links

*
The Mourning Bride
', full text on talebooks.com.accessed 9 January 2014
Quotes from ''The Mourning Bride''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mourning Bride, The 1697 plays Plays by William Congreve Tragedy plays