''Bombastes Furioso'', subtitled ''A Burlesque Tragic Opera'', was written in 1810 by

William Barnes Rhodes William Barnes Rhodes (1772–1826) was an English author, best known for his burlesque opera, ''Bombastes Furioso''. Rhodes was born in Leeds on Christmas Day 1772, the second son of Richard Rhodes and his wife, Mercy. He worked as a writer in ...

(sometimes credited as Thomas Barnes Rhodes). The first authorized printed edition was published in 1822. It is a drama with comic songs, that satirizes the bombastic style of other tragedies that were in fashion at the time. It was very popular throughout the 19th century—its popularity was sufficient for two quotations to appear in ''

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'', often simply called ''Bartlett's'', is an American reference work that is the longest-lived and most widely distributed collection of quotations. The book was first issued in 1855 and is currently in its ninet ...

'', and for

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

to refer to it in his poem "Melancholetta". The part of Bombastes was first played by

Richard John Smith Richard John Smith (1786–1 February 1855) was a British actor of the early Victorian era. He was among the first to play Frankenstein's monster on stage, which he did in 1826 in ''The Man and The Monster; or The Fate of Frankenstein''.

Characters

*Artaxaminous – King of Utopia *Fusbos – Minister of State *Bombastes – general of Artaxaminous *Distaffina – troth-plight (fiancé) of General Bombastes

Plot

King Artaxaminous wishes to divorce his wife Griskinissa, and marry Distaffina. Distaffina, however, is betrothed to General Bombastes. Artaxaminous promises Distaffina "half a crown" if she will forsake the general for him. Distaffina is unable to resist, and abandons Bombastes. When the general learns of this, he goes mad, hangs his boots on the branch of a tree, and challenges anyone who would remove them. Artaxaminous cuts the boots down, and the general kills him. Fusbos, coming upon this, kills Bombastes. At the end of the drama, the dead men jump up and promise "to die again tomorrow", if the audience desires it.

Notes

The story of ''Bombastes Furioso'' is based in part on ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...

''. The sign that Bombastes places on the tree with his boots reads: :Who dares this pair of boots displace, :Must meet Bombastes face to face. According to Bartlett, this is a reference to a quote from

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

: :Let none but he these arms displace, :Who dares Orlando's fury face. (This itself is a reference to Orlando Furioso.)

References

* Bartlett, John. ''Familiar Quotations''. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1919. * Brewer, E. Cobham, Rev., LL.D. ''Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1''. New York, 1892. {{Orlando Furioso English-language operas English comic operas Operas 1810 operas 1822 operas