Thomas Otway, Alcibiades

Daniel Gates (Saginaw Valley State University)

Ed. by Jennifer Brady, Rhodes College
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1675

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

First Performance and Publication

Thomas Otway’s first play, Alcibiades, was performed in September 1675 by the Duke of York’s Theatre at Dorset Garden, and does not appear to have been performed since. It was published in 1675, with a dedication to Charles Sackville, 1st Earl of Middlesex, a prominent wit in the court of Charles II and a friend of the Earl of Rochester. Although Alcibiades has been forgotten by theatregoers today, it is noteworthy in the history of Restoration drama not only for Otway’s debut, but also for the first performance of the actress Elizabeth Barry in the supporting role of Draxilla. The professional collaboration of Otway and Barry was ultimately instrumental in shifting Restoration drama in the direction of pathetic tragedy through such works as The

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1430 words

Citation: Gates, Daniel. "Alcibiades". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 June 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6791, accessed 24 November 2024.]

Thomas Otway, Alcibiades

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback