''The State of Innocence'' is a dramatic work by

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

, originally intended as the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

to an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

. It was written around 1673–4, and first published in 1677. The work is a rhymed adaption of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

's epic poem ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

'', and retells the Biblical story of the

fall of man The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God in Christianity, God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * ...

Composition

Dryden was an admirer of Milton's, and described ''Paradise Lost'' as "one of the greatest, most noble and most sublime poems which either this Age or Nation has produc'd". According to

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the ''Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist, ...

, Milton gave Dryden his personal permission to adapt the poem: This reference to the metal "tags" affixed to the ends of cords or laces may hint at Milton's contempt of rhyme as something purely fashionable and ornamental. Dryden's work, originally titled ''The Fall of Angels and Man in Innocence: An Heroic Opera'', was completed within the space of a month, but the intended opera was never produced. Unofficial transcripts of the libretto began to circulate, however, and the errors in these copies so annoyed Dryden that he was finally induced, in 1677, to publish an authorised version.

Style

''The State of Innocence'' is a five-act drama, chiefly focusing on Books 2, 4, 8 and 9 of Milton's poem. The dialogue and soliloquies are written mostly in

heroic couplets A heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used in epic and narrative poetry, and consisting of a rhyming pair of lines in iambic pentameter. Use of the heroic couplet was pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in the ''Legend of ...

, although one section is written in

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and P ...

. The opening lines, spoken by

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...

, provide an example of Dryden's style:

Reception

While ''Paradise Lost'' had met with a cold reception upon its first publication, ''The State of Innocence'' was a great success, and was reprinted more often during Dryden's lifetime than any of his other plays. A poem by

Nathaniel Lee Nathaniel Lee (c. 1653 – 6 May 1692) was an England, English dramatist. He was the son of Dr Richard Lee, a Presbyterian clergyman who was rector of Hatfield and held many preferments under the Commonwealth of England, Commonwealth; Dr Lee was ...

, attached to the first edition of the libretto, cast Dryden as the "mighty genius" who had refined Milton's "rough" work. Modern criticism has been less favourable, with critics disapproving of Dryden's alterations to both the literary form and the political message of Milton's poem. To modern eyes, as Dustin Griffin writes, "Dryden's deviation from his original is a measure of his failure".

References

Notes Sources * * * * * * * * Further reading *

External links

''The State of Innocence''
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

''The State of Innocence''
at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Of Innocence, The Opera libretti 1677 works Works by John Dryden Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve Fiction about the Devil