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André (play)

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Apart from its intrinsic merits, the play is noteworthy as the first American tragedy written on an American subject. However, despite being nowadays acknowledged as Dunlap's best piece of work, it was not a great success at the time. Its lack of popularity stemmed from the controversial lionization
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Despite the fictionalization, the play genuinely shows the anguish felt by many on the American side over the decision to hang the brilliant and charming young officer, and it is written in unusually supple verse for the 18th century.
194:. The play does not go into the historic details, but rather presents a fictionalized account of the American debate over whether to spare or hang him. Only three characters in the play are historic: André himself, 222:
to the ground at the prospect of André being sentenced to death. The controversy was twofold— not only was Bland losing composure over the fate of a British spy but the cockade (worn by
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of André. Moreover, at opening night, the crowd rose to its feet in anger and indignation when Bland, a soldier in the play, hurled his
198:(referred to throughout the text, except once in a passage inserted between the first two performances, simply as "The General"), and 108: 297: 42: 89: 46: 186:, published in that same year together with a collection of historic documents relating to the case of the title character, 61: 223: 210:
of 1781. (Actually, Honora Sneyd had died of consumption some months before André's death, and never went to America.)
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to emulate their spirit) being tossed to the floor was interpreted by many as Dunlap attacking the
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tone in theatre at the time, and which continued to be regularly produced for fifty years.
281: 191: 175: 132: 291: 187: 161: 199: 203: 202:, who had been briefly engaged to André ten years earlier under the auspices of 24: 261: 248: 219: 274: 18: 206:, who had done much to romanticize the affair in her 153: 138: 128: 123: 49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 226:and then later by the revolutionaries during the 8: 182:in New York City on March 30, 1798, by the 120: 109:Learn how and when to remove this message 7: 47:adding citations to reliable sources 244:The Glory of Columbia, Her Yeomanry 14: 275:http://John-W-Kennedy.name/Andre 260: 23: 34:needs additional citations for 247:, a piece resonating with the 237:Dunlap later recycled much of 16:Play written by William Dunlap 1: 318:Plays set in New York (state) 171:André; a Tragedy in Five Acts 308:Plays based on actual events 339: 313:American Revolutionary War 178:, first produced at the 142:March 30, 1798 298:Plays by William Dunlap 241:into his pageant-play 208:Monody on Major André 184:Old American Company 43:improve this article 232:American Revolution 280:2013-12-23 at the 265:The full text of 228:French Revolution 196:George Washington 167: 166: 119: 118: 111: 93: 58:"André" play 330: 264: 188:Major John André 149: 147: 121: 114: 107: 103: 100: 94: 92: 51: 27: 19: 338: 337: 333: 332: 331: 329: 328: 327: 288: 287: 282:Wayback Machine 257: 192:Benedict Arnold 154:Place premiered 145: 143: 115: 104: 98: 95: 52: 50: 40: 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 336: 334: 326: 325: 320: 315: 310: 305: 300: 290: 289: 286: 285: 272: 256: 255:External links 253: 176:William Dunlap 165: 164: 155: 151: 150: 140: 139:Date premiered 136: 135: 133:William Dunlap 130: 126: 125: 117: 116: 31: 29: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 335: 324: 323:Tragedy plays 321: 319: 316: 314: 311: 309: 306: 304: 301: 299: 296: 295: 293: 283: 279: 276: 273: 271:at Wikisource 270: 269: 263: 259: 258: 254: 252: 250: 246: 245: 240: 235: 233: 229: 225: 221: 215: 211: 209: 205: 201: 197: 193: 189: 185: 181: 177: 174:is a play by 173: 172: 163: 162:New York City 159: 156: 152: 141: 137: 134: 131: 127: 122: 113: 110: 102: 99:December 2019 91: 88: 84: 81: 77: 74: 70: 67: 63: 60: –  59: 55: 54:Find sources: 48: 44: 38: 37: 32:This article 30: 26: 21: 20: 267: 242: 238: 236: 216: 212: 200:Honora Sneyd 180:Park Theatre 170: 169: 168: 158:Park Theatre 105: 96: 86: 79: 72: 65: 53: 41:Please help 36:verification 33: 284:– Full text 204:Anna Seward 303:1798 plays 292:Categories 146:1798-03-30 129:Written by 69:newspapers 278:Archived 249:Populist 234:itself. 224:Patriots 220:cockade 144: ( 83:scholar 85:  78:  71:  64:  56:  268:André 239:André 124:André 90:JSTOR 76:books 62:news 45:by 294:: 160:, 148:) 112:) 106:( 101:) 97:( 87:· 80:· 73:· 66:· 39:.

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"André" play
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William Dunlap
Park Theatre
New York City
William Dunlap
Park Theatre
Old American Company
Major John André
Benedict Arnold
George Washington
Honora Sneyd
Anna Seward
Monody on Major André
cockade
Patriots
French Revolution
American Revolution
The Glory of Columbia, Her Yeomanry
Populist

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