273:
take them into
Persian custody. Dioclesian rushes with his army to rescue them; by this time, though, he has learned to moderate his egotism and ambition. He is victorious over the Persians on the battlefield, yet with uncharacteristic magnanimity he pardons and releases Cosroe and Cassana, and then surprises all by abdicating his position in favor of his nephew Maximinian. Dioclesian marries Drusilla and retires to a farm in Lombardy.
246:. Delphia's magic is so powerful, however, that she can spoil the hero's good fortune. A sudden storm of thunder and lightning, caused by Delphia, forces the superstitious Romans to delay the wedding; then Delphia's spells make Aurelia fall in love with Dioclesian's nephew Maximinian. (Maximinian is based on the historical
272:
and in other plays and operas.) Aurelia uses the captured princess as her servant. Persian ambassadors try to ransom
Cassana, but the proud Aurelia dismisses even the highest offers. Desperate, the Persian ambassadors manage (with Delphia's magic help) to abduct Charinus, Aurelia, and Maximinian and
287:
The play's departures from historical fact are almost too many to list. The actual
Maximian was Diocletian's co-ruler, not his heir; Carinus died in 285, before Maximian was elevated to Caesarship; Maximian retired at the same time as Diocletian; when he became emperor, Diocletian was not a common
230:
At this point, Diocles is a common soldier, who is spending his best efforts killing wild boars; the witch/sorceress
Delphia has prophesied that Diocles will become emperor when his kills a certain boar. The prophecy comes with a condition: Diocles will also marry Delphia's niece Drusilla, who is
226:
and his sister
Aurelia discuss their brother's reported murder. They decide to offer a munificent reward to the man who kills Aper – co-rulership of the Roman Empire and Aurelia's hand in marriage. (This is a classic fairy-tale element – "half my kingdom and the hand of my daughter" – and wholly
276:
Maximinian is now co-ruler with
Charinus, but the two come into conflict. Maximinian believes that his own rule will never be secure as long as Dioclesian lives: the soldiers admire the abdicated uncle more than the nephew in power. In the play's climax, Maximinian leads his troops against
209:
is called a "Tragical
History." At one point in the drama, the Chorus states that the play provides "Historie, / yet mixt...with sweet varietie" (IV, i). The plot certainly does offer historical information (some fairly accurate, some wildly not), intermingled with borrowings from
231:
deeply in love with him. When
Diocles complains that he still is not emperor despite all the boars he's killed, Delphia merely tells him that he hasn't yet got the right one. Then Diocles learns of the bounty placed on Aper's head, and gets the point of the prophecy:
265:
ruled nearly three centuries after the historical period of the play, 531–579 A.D.; his presence here constitutes the drama's biggest departure from historical fact. "Cosroe" is a stereotypical
Persian emperor of much Western literature; he appears in
277:
Dioclesian; but an apparent divine intervention (Delphia-inspired) – earthquake, thunder, lightning, and a godly hand in the clouds – turns
Maximinian repentant. Dioclesian and Drusilla are left to enjoy their country retirement, unmolested.
238:
But he has conveniently forgotten about Drusilla, and plans to marry Aurelia. Delphia doesn't like this. She reproves his faithlessness, but Dioclesian is recalcitrant; in the early scenes of the play he acts with the egomania and bombast of
192:
has been called "a strange and difficult play," noteworthy as almost the only work in Fletcher's canon that treats magic and thaumaturgy as a serious element, with Delphia "as a kind of a curiously feminized
319:
The play contains spectacular elements; critics have wondered exactly how the entrance of Delphia and Drusilla in II, iii, "in a Throne drawn by Dragons," could have been staged.
284:
is supplied by the clown character Geta, a servant and follower of Dioclesian who is promoted to an officer, without any of the qualities that would qualify him for the position.
422:
235:
is the Latin term for a wild boar. Diocles kills Aper, and receives his reward: upon ascending to the highest place in the empire, he amends his name to Dioclesianus.
544:
1427:
1417:
906:
1432:
1130:
415:
792:
250:, Diocletian's co-ruler but no familial relation.) Dioclesian rages at Delphia's interference, but events forestall any action on his part.
408:
54:
124:
E. H. C. Oliphant provided the same scheme, except for an assignment of V,2 to Fletcher. Massinger may have revised the original play in
1422:
1407:
74:
388:
1176:
537:
1042:
66:
1123:
109:
Due to Fletcher's distinctive stylistic profile, the division of authorship in the play is largely clear and unambiguous.
1320:
1047:
38:
222:(the play calls him Numerianus) by Lucius Flavius Aper (in the play, Volutius Aper). In the opening scene, the emperor
1037:
743:
1256:
882:
613:
337:
The Later Jacobean and Caroline Dramatists: A Survey and Bibliography of Recent Studies in English Renaissance Drama,
1296:
1240:
452:
30:
1116:
1272:
1264:
971:
771:
764:
645:
350:
The Plays of Beaumont and Fletcher: An Attempt to Determine Their Respective Shares and the Shares of Others,
1280:
1216:
1075:
961:
799:
708:
98:
90:
1344:
1312:
997:
94:
1013:
924:
858:
492:
432:
22:
599:
300:; etc. etc. The play contains surprisingly old-fashioned features for a work of the 1620s; its chorus,
400:
1376:
951:
889:
729:
652:
58:
1412:
1248:
1192:
1160:
896:
785:
715:
627:
472:
240:
1368:
1288:
806:
736:
722:
659:
606:
592:
578:
313:
304:, and Marlovain bombast suggest a work of the previous generation of dramas. It is possible that
243:
178:
159:
125:
62:
42:
571:
1208:
1200:
1152:
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1005:
941:
917:
827:
694:
620:
138:
1140:
1084:
1052:
934:
865:
585:
482:
459:
445:
155:
133:
34:
1352:
1232:
989:
673:
564:
254:
82:
78:
1360:
1184:
872:
820:
502:
487:
1401:
1224:
778:
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680:
477:
163:
1384:
1336:
835:
507:
467:
281:
1304:
1168:
687:
268:
26:
497:
215:
168:
86:
70:
257:, the Romans have captured the Persian princess Cassana, sister of the king,
1108:
262:
258:
110:
128:, for a revival in July of that year. One source of the play's plot is the
301:
297:
293:
247:
219:
211:
194:
218:. The story begins in 284 A.D., with the reputedly historical murder of
162:, in a musical adaptation "After the Manner of an Opera," with music by
666:
223:
289:
174:
136:. (Massinger had previously dealt with the reign of Diocletian in
1112:
404:
339:
Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 1978; pp. 76, 108.
374:
Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1926; pp. 154–60.
113:
gave this breakdown of the two writers' relative shares:
1101:† = Not published in the Beaumont and Fletcher folios
385:
The Politics of Unease in the Plays of John Fletcher.
173:
Betterton and Purcell's adaptation was performed in
1066:
1028:
981:
845:
753:
637:
554:
529:
516:
120:Massinger – Act II; Act IV; Act V, scenes 1 and 2.
372:Beaumont and Fletcher on the Restoration Stage,
352:New Haven, Yale University Press, 1927; p. 245.
166:; that version is sometimes known by the title
1124:
545:The Masque of the Inner Temple and Gray's Inn
416:
335:Terence P. Logan and Denzell S. Smith, eds.,
53:The play was licensed for performance by Sir
8:
907:Four Plays, or Moral Representations, in One
1131:
1117:
1109:
526:
423:
409:
401:
117:Fletcher – Act I; Act III, Act V, scene 3;
253:In their long-running conflict with the
328:
7:
1428:Plays by John Fletcher and Massinger
957:with Massinger, Chapman & Jonson
37:. It was initially published in the
1418:Plays by John Fletcher (playwright)
967:with Massinger, Ford & Webster
14:
1433:Cultural depictions of Diocletian
389:University of Massachusetts Press
39:first Beaumont and Fletcher folio
538:The Knight of the Burning Pestle
308:is a reworking of the lost play
143:his collaboration with Dekker.)
1:
1079:(Shakespeare & Fletcher?)
854:with Beaumont & Massinger
1048:Beaumont and Fletcher folios
1038:English Renaissance theatre
744:Rule a Wife and Have a Wife
1449:
1297:A New Way to Pay Old Debts
1241:The Great Duke of Florence
878:with Massinger & Field
1423:Plays by Philip Massinger
1408:English Renaissance plays
1177:The Custom of the Country
1147:
1099:
793:The Custom of the Country
440:
1273:The Little French Lawyer
1265:John van Olden Barnavelt
1257:The Honest Man's Fortune
1001:(Middleton & Rowley)
972:The Fair Maid of the Inn
883:The Honest Man's Fortune
772:The Little French Lawyer
646:The Faithful Shepherdess
292:; Diocletian retired to
1217:The Emperor of the East
1076:The History of Cardenio
962:Rollo, Duke of Normandy
709:The Humorous Lieutenant
391:, 1994; pp. 183 and ff.
361:Logan and Smith, p. 76.
1345:Rollo Duke of Normandy
1313:The Parliament of Love
998:Wit at Several Weapons
370:Arthur Colby Sprague,
65:. It was acted by the
925:The Two Noble Kinsmen
859:Thierry and Theodoret
433:Beaumont and Fletcher
1377:The Unnatural Combat
1281:The Lovers' Progress
952:The Maid in the Mill
890:The Queen of Corinth
800:The Lovers' Progress
730:The Wild Goose Chase
69:; the cast included
59:Master of the Revels
49:Date and performance
1193:The Double Marriage
1161:Believe as You List
1088:(possibly based on
897:The Knight of Malta
786:The Double Marriage
716:The Island Princess
628:The Noble Gentleman
473:William Shakespeare
348:E. H. C. Oliphant,
205:In the 1647 folio,
1369:The Spanish Curate
1289:The Maid of Honour
807:The Spanish Curate
737:A Wife for a Month
607:A King and No King
600:The Maid's Tragedy
261:. (The historical
130:History of Carinus
25:era stage play, a
1395:
1394:
1209:The Elder Brother
1201:The Duke of Milan
1153:The Bashful Lover
1106:
1105:
1058:Humphrey Robinson
1024:
1023:
1006:The Laws of Candy
942:Wit Without Money
828:The Elder Brother
695:The Loyal Subject
653:The Woman's Prize
621:The Scornful Lady
614:Love's Pilgrimage
383:Gordon McMullan,
185:Critical response
139:The Virgin Martyr
1440:
1141:Philip Massinger
1133:
1126:
1119:
1110:
1085:Double Falsehood
1053:Humphrey Moseley
935:The Night Walker
912:with Shakespeare
527:
483:Thomas Middleton
460:Philip Massinger
446:Francis Beaumont
425:
418:
411:
402:
392:
381:
375:
368:
362:
359:
353:
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333:
156:Thomas Betterton
134:Flavius Vopiscus
35:Philip Massinger
1448:
1447:
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1441:
1439:
1438:
1437:
1398:
1397:
1396:
1391:
1353:The Roman Actor
1233:The Fatal Dowry
1143:
1137:
1107:
1102:
1095:
1062:
1031:and publication
1030:
1020:
990:The Nice Valour
977:
847:
841:
755:
749:
674:Monsieur Thomas
633:
572:Cupid's Revenge
565:The Woman Hater
556:
550:
522:
520:
518:
512:
436:
429:
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382:
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154:was revived by
149:
107:
99:Thomas Holcombe
83:Nicholas Tooley
79:Robert Benfield
51:
12:
11:
5:
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1436:
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1420:
1415:
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1399:
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1361:The Sea Voyage
1357:
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1329:The Prophetess
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1185:The City Madam
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1014:The Coronation
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821:The Sea Voyage
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488:William Rowley
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306:The Prophetess
288:soldier but a
227:ahistorical).
214:, legend, and
207:The Prophetess
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190:The Prophetess
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152:The Prophetess
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95:Richard Sharpe
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18:The Prophetess
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1225:The False One
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866:Beggars' Bush
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779:The False One
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702:Women Pleased
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681:The Mad Lover
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478:James Shirley
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453:John Fletcher
450:
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387:Amherst, MA,
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164:Henry Purcell
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75:Joseph Taylor
72:
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56:
55:Henry Herbert
48:
46:
44:
40:
36:
32:
31:John Fletcher
28:
24:
20:
19:
1385:A Very Woman
1383:
1375:
1367:
1359:
1351:
1343:
1337:The Renegado
1335:
1328:
1327:
1319:
1311:
1303:
1295:
1287:
1284:(1624, 1634)
1279:
1271:
1263:
1255:
1249:The Guardian
1247:
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1199:
1191:
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1151:
1089:
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1004:
996:
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940:
933:
930:with Shirley
923:
916:
905:
895:
888:
881:
871:
864:
857:
836:A Very Woman
834:
826:
819:
813:
812:
805:
798:
791:
784:
777:
770:
763:
754:Fletcher and
742:
735:
728:
721:
714:
707:
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665:
658:
651:
644:
626:
619:
612:
605:
598:
591:
584:
577:
570:
563:
557:and Fletcher
543:
536:
523:conjectural)
521:attributions
508:John Webster
468:Nathan Field
458:
451:
444:
397:
384:
379:
371:
366:
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349:
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318:
309:
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286:
282:comic relief
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108:
91:George Birch
61:, on 14 May
52:
17:
16:
15:
1321:The Picture
1305:The Old Law
1169:The Bondman
1029:Performance
993:(Middleton)
947:with Rowley
873:Love's Cure
723:The Pilgrim
688:The Chances
660:Valentinian
593:The Captain
579:The Coxcomb
280:The play's
269:Tamburlaine
244:Tamburlaine
29:written by
27:tragicomedy
1413:1622 plays
1402:Categories
1388:(1619–22?)
1348:(1612–24?)
1043:King's Men
918:Henry VIII
902:with Field
848:and others
498:Ben Jonson
323:References
310:Diocletian
216:fairy tale
169:Dioclesian
147:Adaptation
105:Authorship
87:John Shank
71:John Lowin
67:King's Men
21:is a late
1308:(1614–18)
1276:(1619–23)
1228:(1619–20)
1196:(1619–22)
1180:(1619–23)
1139:Plays by
1017:(Shirley)
765:Barnavelt
756:Massinger
586:Philaster
493:John Ford
263:Khosrau I
241:Marlowe's
111:Cyrus Hoy
1090:Cardenio
846:Fletcher
638:Fletcher
555:Beaumont
530:Beaumont
302:dumbshow
298:Lombardy
294:Dalmatia
255:Persians
248:Maximian
224:Charinus
220:Numerian
212:folklore
201:Synopsis
195:Prospero
177:late in
23:Jacobean
1380:(1624?)
1067:Related
667:Bonduca
435:" Canon
1372:(1622)
1364:(1622)
1356:(1626)
1340:(1630)
1332:(1622)
1324:(1630)
1316:(1624)
1300:(1625)
1292:(1632)
1268:(1619)
1260:(1613)
1252:(1633)
1244:(1636)
1236:(1632)
1220:(1632)
1212:(1625)
1204:(1623)
1188:(1632)
1172:(1624)
1164:(1631)
1156:(1636)
1009:(Ford)
982:Others
296:, not
290:consul
259:Cosroe
175:Dublin
97:, and
57:, the
519:(some
517:Plays
431:The "
312:from
314:1594
233:aper
179:1735
160:1690
126:1629
63:1622
43:1647
33:and
197:."
158:in
132:of
41:of
1404::
316:.
181:.
101:.
93:,
89:,
85:,
81:,
77:,
73:,
45:.
1132:e
1125:t
1118:v
1092:)
1082:†
1073:†
915:†
833:†
762:†
424:e
417:t
410:v
171:.
141:,
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