Terror and pity reign in every breast : Gothic drama in the London patent theatres 1750-1820

Ranger, Paul Victor (1984) Terror and pity reign in every breast : Gothic drama in the London patent theatres 1750-1820. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the gothic drama in performance at the two London patent theatres, Drury Lane and Covent Garden, between the years 1755 and 1820. The nature of these theatrical presentations entails a consideration of the work of the scene designers, painters and machinists as well as an examination of the acting styles of the performers in essaying the principal gothic roles. The intensification of excitement with which playwrights and managers augmented the dramas is considered alongside the growth of spectacle. Throughout the study the responses of the audience to points of acting and presentation, as well as the changing tastes of the spectators, are noted. The final chapter attempts to evaluate the worth of the dramas in performance in terms of this response of the Georgian play goer, for, although the plays receive scant attention at the present, they were regarded in their day with a seriousness which is difficult to credit. For its subject matter the gothic drama betrays its reliance on a variety of art forms, including the novel, painting and landscape design; the enthusiasm for travel and sentimental responses to the landscape held by cultured members of the audience is reflected inthe locations of the scenes. The stock nature of some of the characters gives to many plays the flavour of a morality. This openness of the dramas to the influence of the literary, artistic and moral world is considered as the study progresses.

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