''The Unhappy Favourite; Or, The Earl Of Essex'' is a 1681

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 English writer

John Banks John Banks or Bankes may refer to: Politics and law *Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet (1627–1699), English merchant and Member of Parliament * John Banks (American politician) (1793–1864), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *John Gray Banks (188 ...

. It was originally staged by the

King's Company The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London, after the London theatre closure had been lifted at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682, when it merged wit ...

at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It portrays 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 ...

favourite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, and his subsequent execution following

Essex's Rebellion Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court. Background Robert Devereux, ...

. The first Drury Lane cast included Thomas Clark as The Earl of Essex,

Philip Griffin Philip Griffin was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century. He joined the King's Company at Drury Lane during the 1670s, and was later a member of the merged United Company from 1685. He was named as a manage ...

as Earl of Southampton,

Michael Mohun Michael Mohun (1616? – buried 11 October 1684) was a leading English actor both before and after the 1642–60 closing of the theatres. Mohun began his stage career as a boy player filling female roles; he was part of Christopher Beeston's the ...

as Burleigh,

Thomas Disney Thomas Disney (c. 1510 – 17 April 1568), of Carlton-le-Moorland, Lincolnshire, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate dis ...

as Sir

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

Anne Marshall Anne Marshall ( fl. 1661 – 1682), also Mrs. Anne Quin, was a leading English actress of the Restoration era, one of the first generation of women performers to appear on the public stage in England. John Downes, in his ''Roscius Anglicanus ...

as Queen Elizabeth,

Sarah Cooke Sarah Cooke (died 1688) 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. She played a number of lead roles during the 1680s. Her aunt was the governess to th ...

as Countess of Rutland and

Mary Corbett Mary Corbett 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. She appears to have left the company around the time of the merger creating the new United Compan ...

as Countess of Nottingham.Van Lennep p.295-96

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 ...

wrote a special prologue for a performance attended by Charles II and his wife

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, ...

. Banks dedicated the published version of 1682 to

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

, niece of the king, who herself later came to the throne. The play was revived numerous times during the following century. In 1731

James Ralph James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

wrote ''

The Fall of the Earl of Essex ''The Fall of the Earl of Essex'' is a 1731 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, a military commander and form ...

'', borrowing heavily from Banks.

References

Bibliography

* Hageman, Elizabeth & Conway, Katherine. ''Resurrecting Elizabeth I in Seventeenth-century England''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 2007. * Van Lennep, W. ''The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. 1681 plays West End plays Tragedy plays Biographical plays Plays by John Banks Plays set in London Plays about British royalty Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I Plays set in the 17th century Charles II of England Catherine of Braganza Anne, Queen of Great Britain {{17thC-play-stub