The Duchess of Padua
Encyclopedia
The Duchess of Padua is a play by Oscar Wilde
: it is a five act melodramatic tragedy set in Padua
and written in blank verse
. It was written for the actress Mary Anderson
in early 1883 while in Paris
. After she turned it down, it was abandoned until its first performance at The Broadway Theatre
in New York
under the title Guido Ferranti on the 26th January 1891, where it ran for three weeks. It is currently rarely revived or studied.
Wilde originally set on Mary Anderson for the title role:
He had difficulty, however, negotiating with her business manager and stepfather, Hamilton Griffin, whom Wilde referred to privately as "The Griffin" and "a padded horror".On 23rd September 1882, all three met in Boston and agreed to open on the 22nd January 1883. In October, Wilde learnt they had decided to wait until September. Finally, a contract was signed in December - Wilde received £1,000 upfront, and £4,000 if the completed play was accepted by Anderson in March 1883, which she would then produce. This was far less than the £5,000 advance and royalty that Wilde had initially hoped for, describing the deal he got as "starvation wages".
Wilde finished the play at the Hotel Voltaire in Paris by 15th March 1883, 14 days after Griffin's deadline. However, Anderson proved hard to communicate with, and provided a definite refusal in April.
The play was unexpectedly rediscovered by American actor Lawrence Barrett
in 1889, who contacted Wilde about producing it. Wilde agreed to meet him in July to discuss the play, writing he was "very glad to make any alterations in it you can suggest". Among these changes Barrett suggested was the new title Guido Ferranti, named after the lead hero rather than heroine, under which he claimed it would have greater success. He also requested that Wilde's name not be attached to the play after the failure of Vera; or, The Nihilists
, although this did not deceive the New York Tribune who correctly identified the author in their review, after which it was advertised as "Oscar Wilde's Love Tragedy".. The play was first produced in January 1891 in New York, and ran for three weeks until stopped by Barrett.
Wilde sought to produce a second run of the play in London, but was refused by both Henry Irving
and George Alexander
.
mysterious letter from a stranger, claiming to know the true secret of Guido's birth. Guido
meets him in the market, as the letter instructs, and after Ascanio leaves, he reveals
himself as Count Moranzone. He tells Guido that his father was the Duke Lorenzo, who had
been executed after being betrayed by a close friend in exchange for land, that his mother
died in a swoon on hearing the news, and it was he who had taken the young Guido to the
family he had grown up with. He encourages Guido in his revenge, and telling him that
betraying the Duke is better than merely killing him, and shows him his father's knife.
Before Moranzone can tell Guido the traitor's name, the Duke of Padua enters with his
court, and Moranzone indicates the Duke's guilt by kneeling before him. He introduces Guido
as one who wants service in the Duke's household. The Duke accepts him, then continues to
the Cathedral. Moranzone tells Guido that until he is avenged, he should put aside all
other things - when Ascanio returns, Guido sends him away. As Guido speaks a soliloquy,
swearing this, he sees the Duchess of Padua pass. Their eyes meet.
outside the palace calls for the Duke's death, and when he orders them fired upon, the
Duchess stands between them. She intercedes for them with the Duke, and when he will not
listen to their grievances, divides her whole purse between them. The Duke expresses his
displeasure, but does not notice the mutual attraction between her and Guido. The court
leaves - the Duchess alone wonders how Guido can dote on the Duke as he does. Guido returns
alone as she prays and declares his love for her, which she eagerly returns. Their kiss is
interrupted by a servant, who delivers to Guido his father's dagger - the sign from
Moranzone that he should now kill the Duke. Guido tells the Duchess that they must part
forever, and leaves for his revenge.
the Duke. Instead he intends to leave the dagger with a letter, so the Duke will know Guido
had him in his power and chose to spare him. Moranzone calls him a coward and bad son, and
blames his contact with the Duchess for his change of heart. While Guido prays alone that
he has done the right thing, the Duchess enters, and tells him there is nothing separating
them any more - because she has killed the Duke. Guido rejects her in horror, and they
argue. He repents of his reaction as she leaves, and the act drops on her leading the guard
to arrest Guido.
Mary Anderson, however, was less enthusiastic:
William Winter reviewed the first production in The New York Tribune on the 27th January 1891:
Robert Shore commented on the play itself while reviewing a contemporary production:
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
: it is a five act melodramatic tragedy set in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
and written in blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
. It was written for the actress Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson (stage actress)
Mary Anderson was an American stage actress.-Early life:...
in early 1883 while in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After she turned it down, it was abandoned until its first performance at The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1681 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
under the title Guido Ferranti on the 26th January 1891, where it ran for three weeks. It is currently rarely revived or studied.
Production History
Wilde first mentioned the possibility of writing a five-act blank verse tragedy in the Biograph in 1800, originally to be entitled The Duchess of FlorenceWilde originally set on Mary Anderson for the title role:
"I cannot write the scenario until see you and talk to you. All good plays are a combination of the dream of a poet and that practical knowledge of the actor which gives concentration to the action...I want you to rank with the great actresses of the earth...having in you a faith which is as flawless as it is fervent I doubt not for a moment that I can and will write for you a play which, created for you and inspired by you, shall give you the glory of a Rachel, and may yield me the fame of a HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
"
He had difficulty, however, negotiating with her business manager and stepfather, Hamilton Griffin, whom Wilde referred to privately as "The Griffin" and "a padded horror".On 23rd September 1882, all three met in Boston and agreed to open on the 22nd January 1883. In October, Wilde learnt they had decided to wait until September. Finally, a contract was signed in December - Wilde received £1,000 upfront, and £4,000 if the completed play was accepted by Anderson in March 1883, which she would then produce. This was far less than the £5,000 advance and royalty that Wilde had initially hoped for, describing the deal he got as "starvation wages".
Wilde finished the play at the Hotel Voltaire in Paris by 15th March 1883, 14 days after Griffin's deadline. However, Anderson proved hard to communicate with, and provided a definite refusal in April.
The play was unexpectedly rediscovered by American actor Lawrence Barrett
Lawrence Barrett
Lawrence Barrett was an American stage actor.-Biography:He was born Lawrence Brannigan to Irish emigrant parents in Paterson, New Jersey. He made his first stage appearance at Detroit as Murad in The French Spy in 1853...
in 1889, who contacted Wilde about producing it. Wilde agreed to meet him in July to discuss the play, writing he was "very glad to make any alterations in it you can suggest". Among these changes Barrett suggested was the new title Guido Ferranti, named after the lead hero rather than heroine, under which he claimed it would have greater success. He also requested that Wilde's name not be attached to the play after the failure of Vera; or, The Nihilists
Vera; or, The Nihilists
Vera; or, The Nihilists is a play by Oscar Wilde. It is a melodramatic tragedy set in Russia. It was the first play that Wilde wrote. It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1880, and in New York in 1882, but it was not a success and folded in both cities...
, although this did not deceive the New York Tribune who correctly identified the author in their review, after which it was advertised as "Oscar Wilde's Love Tragedy".. The play was first produced in January 1891 in New York, and ran for three weeks until stopped by Barrett.
Wilde sought to produce a second run of the play in London, but was refused by both Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
and George Alexander
George Alexander
George Alexander may refer to:*George Alexander , British actor*George Alexander , mayor of Los Angeles*George T. Alexander , US Army soldier*George W...
.
Dramatis Personae
- Simone Grosso, Duke of Padua
- Beatrice, his wife
- Andreas Pollajuolo, Cardinal of Padua
- Maffio Petrucci, Gentleman of the Duke's Household
- Jeppo Vitellozzo, Gentleman of the Duke's Household
- Taddeo Bardi, Gentleman of the Duke's Household
- Guido Ferranti, a young man
- Ascanio Cristofano, his Friend
- Count Morazone, an Old Man
- Bernardo Calvacanti, Lord Justice of Padua
- Hugo, the Headsman
- Lucy, a Tire Woman
- Servants, Citizens, Soldiers, Monks and Falconers
Act I
Guido Ferranti, a young man, travels to Padua with his friend Ascanio after receiving amysterious letter from a stranger, claiming to know the true secret of Guido's birth. Guido
meets him in the market, as the letter instructs, and after Ascanio leaves, he reveals
himself as Count Moranzone. He tells Guido that his father was the Duke Lorenzo, who had
been executed after being betrayed by a close friend in exchange for land, that his mother
died in a swoon on hearing the news, and it was he who had taken the young Guido to the
family he had grown up with. He encourages Guido in his revenge, and telling him that
betraying the Duke is better than merely killing him, and shows him his father's knife.
Before Moranzone can tell Guido the traitor's name, the Duke of Padua enters with his
court, and Moranzone indicates the Duke's guilt by kneeling before him. He introduces Guido
as one who wants service in the Duke's household. The Duke accepts him, then continues to
the Cathedral. Moranzone tells Guido that until he is avenged, he should put aside all
other things - when Ascanio returns, Guido sends him away. As Guido speaks a soliloquy,
swearing this, he sees the Duchess of Padua pass. Their eyes meet.
Act II
Guido has risen in the Duke's confidence sufficiently that he rests on his arm. A moboutside the palace calls for the Duke's death, and when he orders them fired upon, the
Duchess stands between them. She intercedes for them with the Duke, and when he will not
listen to their grievances, divides her whole purse between them. The Duke expresses his
displeasure, but does not notice the mutual attraction between her and Guido. The court
leaves - the Duchess alone wonders how Guido can dote on the Duke as he does. Guido returns
alone as she prays and declares his love for her, which she eagerly returns. Their kiss is
interrupted by a servant, who delivers to Guido his father's dagger - the sign from
Moranzone that he should now kill the Duke. Guido tells the Duchess that they must part
forever, and leaves for his revenge.
Act III
Guido meets Moranzone on the way to the Duke - he explains that he has decided not to killthe Duke. Instead he intends to leave the dagger with a letter, so the Duke will know Guido
had him in his power and chose to spare him. Moranzone calls him a coward and bad son, and
blames his contact with the Duchess for his change of heart. While Guido prays alone that
he has done the right thing, the Duchess enters, and tells him there is nothing separating
them any more - because she has killed the Duke. Guido rejects her in horror, and they
argue. He repents of his reaction as she leaves, and the act drops on her leading the guard
to arrest Guido.
Act IV
In the trial, Guido declares that he will tell the truth before the verdict falls upon him. Fearing that Guido will identify her as the real murderer, the Duchess orders the judges not to allow him to speak. However, the judges finally grant Guido the right to defend himself- in which he claims that he is the murderer. The duchess faints in shame, shock and gratefulness.Act V
The Duchess masks herself in a cloak to visit Guido in jail. She plans to substitute herself for the execution on the next day. Determined to die, she drank the poison that was put next to the sleeping Guido. Guido wakes up and admits that he has forgiven the Duchess and that he loves her. The Duchess urges Guido to flee but he refuses. Guido finally kills himself with the Duchess's dagger after she died in his arms.Reception
Wilde himself described the play to Anderson, saying:"I have no hesitation in saying that it is the masterpiece of all my literary work, the chef d'oeuvre of my youth."
Mary Anderson, however, was less enthusiastic:
"The play in its present form, I fear, would no more please the public of today than would 'Venus Preserved' or 'Lucretia Borgia'. Neither of can afford failure now, and your Duchess in my hands would not succeed, as the part does not fit me. My admiration of your ability is as great as ever."
William Winter reviewed the first production in The New York Tribune on the 27th January 1891:
"The new play is deftly constructed in five short acts, and is written in a strain of blank verse that is always melodious, often eloquent, and sometimes freighted with fanciful figures of rare beauty. It is less a tragedy, however, than a melodrama...the radical defect of the work is insincerity. No one in it is natural."
Robert Shore commented on the play itself while reviewing a contemporary production:
"...his tale of Renaissance realpolitik, revenge and big love is about as far removed from the sophisticated social ironies of The Importance of Being Earnest as you can get. The dramatist affects the high Jacobean manner but the results are more cold pastiche than hot homage. Shakespearean archetypes stand behind the action - especially Lady Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet - but the smoothness of the verse means Wilde's characters never burn with the knotty tormented passion of their dramatic forebears. Basically, it's Victorian melodrama."