First Performance and Publication

Titus and Berenice, a heroic tragedy of three acts, was performed by the Duke of York’s Theatre at Dorset Garden in December, 1676. Otway’s play was published in one volume together with an engaging farce, The Cheats of Scapin, in February, 1677, and dedicated to his patron, the earl of Rochester. Both Titus and Berenice and The Cheats of Scapin were adaptations of popular French plays staged within the past half-decade. The first was a condensed adaptation and translation of Racine’s tragedy, Bérénice (1670), which Otway paired with a three-act farce based on Molière’s Les Fourberies de Scapin (1671). The pairing of the two plays was successful, in large part because of the talented actors in the Duke of York’s company. Mary Lee played the

844 words

Citation: Brady, Jennifer. "Titus and Berenice". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34227, accessed 22 November 2024.]