William D'Avenant, The Siege of Rhodes part one

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The Siege of Rhodes

is important because it is believed to be the first time the general public had the opportunity to see a production with scenery on the stage in England. Before this time scenery had only been used in productions of masques, and some few plays at court, or in front of a select audience. Surprisingly

The Siege of Rhodes

was shown during the Interregnum when stage plays were forbidden. However, Sir William D'Avenant had already successfully shown a staged debate at his house, part of which was for and against staging opera, which he called

The First Days Entertainment at Rutland House, by Declamations and Musick: after the manner of the Ancients

. The long title was probably a deliberate attempt to preclude any criticism and substantiate D'Avenant's claim that the show…

1366 words

Citation: Lewcock, Dawn. "The Siege of Rhodes part one". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 May 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21269, accessed 19 March 2024.]

21269 The Siege of Rhodes part one 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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