''The Wife: A Tale of Mantua'' (also known as ''The Wife of Mantua'' is an 1833

historical play History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres. For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of trage ...

by the Irish writer

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. Biography Knowles was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer James Knowles (1759–1840), cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The family mov ...

. It premiered at the

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

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 ...

on 24 April 1833. The cast included Sheridan Knowles as Julian St. Pierre,

Ellen Kean Ellen Kean (12 December 1805 – 20 August 1880) was an English actress. She was known as Ellen Tree until her marriage in 1842, after which she was known both privately and professionally as Mrs Charles Kean and always appeared in productions ...

as Mariana, Charles Kean as Leonardo, James Prescott Warde as Ferrardo,

George Bennett George Bennett, Bennette, or Bennet may refer to: Politics and law *George Bennett (Ontario politician) (1888–1948), Canadian politician, mayor of Windsor * George Bennett (Wisconsin politician) (1810–1888), Wisconsin state senator *George C. ...

as Antonio,

William Abbot William Abbot or Abbott (12 June 1790 – 1 June 1843) was an English actor, and a theatrical manager, both in England and the United States. Life Abbot was born in Chelsea, London, and made his first appearance on the stage at Bath in 1806, ...

as Lorenzo,

Edwin Ransford Edwin Ransford (13 March 1805 – 22 November 1876) was an English opera singer and composer. Biography Ransford was born at Bourton-on-the-Water, near Moreton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire, on 13 March 1805. He first appeared on the stage as a ...

as Hugo, Drinkwater Meadows as Bartolo and William Payne as Pietro. The

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...

was written by Charles Lamb.Marshall p.133 It is set in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

during the reign of the

House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua) Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duke ...

References

Bibliography

* Meeks, Leslie Howard. ''Sheridan Knowles: And the Theatre of His Time''. Principia Press, Incorporated, 1933. * Marshall, Gail. ''Shakespeare in the Nineteenth Century''. Cambridge University Press, 2012. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Nineteenth Century Drama 1800-1850''. Cambridge University Press, 1930. 1833 plays West End plays Irish plays British plays Plays by James Sheridan Knowles Plays set in Italy {{19thC-play-stub