''The Successful Pyrate'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pl ...

by Charles Johnson, first performed 1712, published 1713, dealing with the life of the

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

Henry Avery Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659after 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several alias ...

. It opened 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 D ...

on 7 November 1712 and ran for five evenings. The original cast included

Barton Booth Barton Booth (168210 May 1733) was one of the most famous dramatic actors of the first part of the 18th century. Early life Booth was the son of The Hon and Very Revd Dr Robert Booth, Dean of Bristol, by his first wife and distant cousin Ann ...

as Arviragus,

Robert Wilks Robert Wilks (''c.'' 1665 – 27 September 1732) was a British actor and theatrical manager who was one of the leading managers of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in its heyday of the 1710s. He was, with Colley Cibber and Thomas Doggett, one of th ...

as Aranes,

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...

as Boreal, Theophilus Keene as De Sale, William Pinkethman as Sir Gaudy Tulip, Henry Norris as Chicane, John Leigh as Jollyboy, William Bullock as Judge Bull, Christopher Bullock as Serjeant Dolt and Mary Porter as Zaida.

Plot

In the play, Avery goes under the name Arviragus, and has made himself a king in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

. He captures the Indian princess Zaida and tries to force her to marry him, but she is in love with a young man named Aranes. There is an offstage fight and Aranes is reported killed; meanwhile, De Sale, who has confided to the audience that he plots to overthrow Arviragus and make himself king, ingratiates himself with Zaida. De Sale's fellow plotters are bumbling incompetents and their plans are easily thwarted, followed by a comic trial scene. It is revealed that Aranes is Arviragus' long lost son, whom he recognizes from a bracelet, and that he is still alive, his friend Alvarez having died in his place. The plotters are executed and Aranes and Zaida marry.

Characters

* Arviragus, king of the island of St. Laurence, or Madagascar * Aranes, an Omrah in Zaida's train * Boreal, admiral to Arviragus * De Sale, lieutenant to Arviragus * Richardo, captain of the guards * Piracquo, De Sale's creature * Sir Gaudy Tulip, master of the ceremonies * Chicane, a broken lawyer * Jollyboy, treasurer to Arviragus * Judge Bull * Serjeant Dolt * Counsellor Smooth * Herring * Porpoise * Shark * Codshead * Zaida, Aurengzebe's granddaughter, contracted to and in love with Aranes * Samanthe, her chief attendant * Lydia, Piracquo's wife * Lesbia, Tulip's wife

Dramatic analysis

''The Successful Pyrate'' is a romanticised dramatisation of two episodes contained in a

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

that had been recently published concerning the career of the pirate

: his capture of the Mogul

Aurengzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

's ship '' Gang-i-sawai'', allegedly carrying the Mogul's granddaughter; and a plot against him by his lieutenant De Sale and other pirates. The play is primarily a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ...

. The pirates are mostly fools, in particular Sir Gaudy Tulip, an aged and cowardly London beau; the ''Gang-i-sawai'' is, for no reason other than comic effect, carrying two European ladies, Tulip's ex-mistress and another pirate's ex-wife, who exchange tart comments with the men; the drunken conspirators and outrageously partial court are played entirely for laughs.

Reception

John Dennis condemned the play for "encouraging Villany".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Successful Pyrate, The 1712 plays West End plays Piracy in fiction Plays set in the 18th century Plays by Charles Johnson