Overview

Tragedy of Mariam, the Fair Queen of Jewry is a Jacobean closet drama by Elizabeth Tanfield Cary. First published in 1613, it was the first work by a woman to be published under her real name. Never performed during Cary's lifetime, and apparently never intended for performance, the Senecan revenge tragedy tells the story of Mariam, the second wife of Herod. The play exposes and explores the themes of sex, divorce, betrayal, murder, and Jewish society under Herod's tyrannous rule. The comprehensive, illustrated introduction discusses the play in the context of closet drama, female dramatists and in terms of the religious issues it explores, seeing Mariam as a martyr figure. The on-page commentary notes provide further close analysis and explanation, creating an ideal edition for study and teaching.

Full Product Details

9781904271598

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Reviews

.. .affordable, portable, and well glossed... - Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr., Rice University

It's a probing, anxious play, and [editor] Britland points to parallels with Cary's own vexed domestic circumstances. She also sketches in the brief performance history: Mariam did not receive a full production until 1994. -- Plays International

. ..affordable, portable, and well glossed... - Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr., Rice University

.. .affordable, portable, and well glossed... --Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr., Rice University

Author Information

Ramona Wray is Senior Lecturer in the School of English at Queen's University, Belfast.

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