John Balliol (drama)
John Balliol, a historical drama in five acts ( Engl . John Balliol, An Historical Drama in Five Acts ) from William Tennant , appeared in 1825 in lowländischem Scots . John Balliol is portrayed as a “weak leader” influenced by his mother Dervorguilla de Balliol , while his rival Robert the Bruce is portrayed as a “noble hero”. But Balliol is the one whose coronation was accomplished by "ten thousand nobles". The piece has several supernatural elements such as seers , omens, and references to spirits . Valentina Bold pointed out that many similarities to The Royal Jubilee by James Hogg are included from the year 1822nd
Balliol was Tennant's second dramatic failure:
- "Undeterred by the failure of [ Cardinal Beaton ], Tennant, in 1825, published" John Baliol ", and only added another unit to his failures. His adoption of the "toom tabard" as his hero, seemed to intimate that his own wits were run out, and the poem therefore thred as its namesake had done — it was deposed and sent into oblivion. The public now wondered, and well it might, that the rich promise given in "Anster Fair" had been so poorly redeemed. What had become of that ungovernable wit that had burst its bounds, and overflowed in such profusion? A single stanza of Rob the Ranter was worth fifty Baliols and Beatons to boot. "
The drama was never translated into German .
Footnotes
- Valentina Bold: James Hogg: a bard of nature's making , 2007, Peter Lang (ed.), ISBN = 978-3-03910-897-8
- ↑ Bold (2007), p. 239
- ↑ William Tennant in Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen by William Chambers