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{{Short description|Play by Colley Cibber}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox play
{{Infobox play
| name = Caesar in Egypt
| name = Caesar in Egypt
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| subject =
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| genre = Comedy
| genre = Tragedy
}}
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'''''Caesar in Egypt''''' is a 1724 [[tragedy]] by the British writer [[Colley Cibber]]. It is inspired by [[Pierre Corneille]]'s 1642 French play ''[[The Death of Pompey]]'' about [[Julius Ceasar]]'s intervention in the Egyptian Civil War between Cleopatra and her brother. Cibber also incorporated elements of [[Plutarch]] and [[John Fletcher (playwright)|John Fletcher]]'s ''[[The False One]]''.<ref>Koon p.107</ref>
'''''Caesar in Egypt''''' is a 1724 [[tragedy]] by the British writer [[Colley Cibber]]. It is inspired by [[Pierre Corneille]]'s 1642 French play ''[[The Death of Pompey]]'' about [[Julius Caesar]]'s intervention in the Egyptian Civil War between [[Cleopatra]] and her brother. Cibber also incorporated elements of [[Plutarch]] and [[John Fletcher (playwright)|John Fletcher]]'s ''[[The False One]]''.<ref>Koon p.107</ref> The Drury Lane company invested lots of resources to make it a particularly extravagant production in the traditional style of a [[Restoration theatre|Restoration]] [[heroic drama]].<ref>Koon p.108</ref>


The cast included [[Barton Booth]] as Julius Caesar, [[Robert Wilks]] as Antony, [[Theophilus Cibber]] as Ptolemy, [[John Mills (stage actor)|John Mills]] as Photinus, Colley Cibber as Achoreus, [[John Thurmond]] as a Centurion, [[Mary Porter (actress)|Mary Porter]] as Cornelia and [[Anne Oldfield]] as Cleopatra.
The cast included [[Barton Booth]] as Julius Caesar, [[Robert Wilks]] as [[Mark Antony|Antony]], [[Theophilus Cibber]] as [[Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator|Ptolemy]], [[Charles Williams (stage actor)|Charles Williams]] as Decius, [[John Mills (stage actor)|John Mills]] as Photinus, Colley Cibber as Achoreus, [[John Roberts (stage actor)|John Roberts]] as First Centurion, [[John Thurmond]] as Second Centurion, [[Mary Porter (actress)|Mary Porter]] as [[Cornelia Metella|Cornelia]] and [[Anne Oldfield]] as Cleopatra.

The play was not well-received, its style increasingly regarded by audiences as old-fashioned. This effectively ended Cibber's career as a playwright.<ref>Koon p.108</ref>


==References==
==References==
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* Koon, Helene. ''Colley Cibber: A Biography''. University Press of Kentucky, 2014.
* Koon, Helene. ''Colley Cibber: A Biography''. University Press of Kentucky, 2014.
* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''History of English Drama, 1660-1900, Volume 2''. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
* Nicoll, Allardyce. ''History of English Drama, 1660-1900, Volume 2''. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

{{Colley Cibber}}


[[Category:1724 plays]]
[[Category:1724 plays]]
[[Category:British plays]]
[[Category:West End plays]]
[[Category:West End plays]]
[[Category:Plays by Colley Cibber]]
[[Category:Plays by Colley Cibber]]
[[Category:Tragedy plays]]
[[Category:Tragedy plays]]
[[Category:Historical plays]]
[[Category:Plays set in ancient Egypt]]
[[Category:Depictions of Julius Caesar in plays]]
[[Category:Adaptations of works by Pierre Corneille]]


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Latest revision as of 00:47, 10 January 2024

Caesar in Egypt
Written byColley Cibber
Date premiered9 December 1724[1]
Place premieredTheatre Royal, Drury Lane
Original languageEnglish
GenreTragedy

Caesar in Egypt is a 1724 tragedy by the British writer Colley Cibber. It is inspired by Pierre Corneille's 1642 French play The Death of Pompey about Julius Caesar's intervention in the Egyptian Civil War between Cleopatra and her brother. Cibber also incorporated elements of Plutarch and John Fletcher's The False One.[2] The Drury Lane company invested lots of resources to make it a particularly extravagant production in the traditional style of a Restoration heroic drama.[3]

The cast included Barton Booth as Julius Caesar, Robert Wilks as Antony, Theophilus Cibber as Ptolemy, Charles Williams as Decius, John Mills as Photinus, Colley Cibber as Achoreus, John Roberts as First Centurion, John Thurmond as Second Centurion, Mary Porter as Cornelia and Anne Oldfield as Cleopatra.

The play was not well-received, its style increasingly regarded by audiences as old-fashioned. This effectively ended Cibber's career as a playwright.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Burling p.88
  2. ^ Koon p.107
  3. ^ Koon p.108
  4. ^ Koon p.108

Bibliography[edit]

  • Burling, William J. A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992.
  • Koon, Helene. Colley Cibber: A Biography. University Press of Kentucky, 2014.
  • Nicoll, Allardyce. History of English Drama, 1660-1900, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press, 2009.