Thomas Otway, The Cheats of Scapin

Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College)

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 1677

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Farce
Play

Resources

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First Performance and Publication

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

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1014 words

Citation: Brady, Jennifer. "The Cheats of Scapin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34226, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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