The play is set in Venice in 1355. Marino Faliero, recently elected Doge of Venice, offends one of the chief officers of state, Michele Steno. Steno retaliates by writing on the Doge's throne an indecent libel on Faliero's wife. For this he is tried by the Council of Forty and convicted, but is only sentenced to a month's imprisonment. Faliero is so outraged by this, as he believes it to be an inadequate punishment for such an affront to the ruling Doge, that he secretly joins in the conspiracy of a group of malcontents to abolish the constitution of Venice, thinking thereby to gain revenge on his enemies. The plot is discovered and Faliero is executed.
Composition and publicationedit
Byron was inspired to take on this subject when, on examining the portraits of the Doges in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, he discovered that the portrait of Faliero had been blacked out.[1] The main historical source he drew on was Marino Sanuto's Vite dei Dogi (published posthumously 1733).[2][3] He completed the play in July 1820, by which time he was living in Ravenna, and published it in April 1821, along with his The Prophecy of Dante.[4][5] He intended to dedicate it to Goethe, but delays in the post between Italy and England resulted in the play being published without a dedication.[6] The posthumous 1832 edition of Byron's collected works included a later dedication of the play by Byron to his friend Douglas Kinnaird.[7]Marino Faliero was translated into French in 1830 and into Italian in 1838.[1]
First performanceedit
Byron intended his play to be read rather than acted, and when he heard that the actor-manager Robert William Elliston intended to stage it he caused his publisher, John Murray, to obtain an injunction to prevent him. Elliston nevertheless performed it, in a version cut almost by half, at Drury Lane four days after the play was published. The reaction from both audiences and critics was lukewarm; perhaps, as Byron thought, because of the play's neoclassical form and lack of sensationalism and love interest.[8][9][10]
Influenceedit
The Execution of the Doge Marino Faliero (Delacroix, 1825–26)
^Harrison, Colin. "Delacroix, (Ferdinand-)Eugène(-Victor)". Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
^Ward, A. W. & Waller, A. R. "The Rossettis, William Morris, Swinburne, and Others. § 10. Tristram of Lyonesse". The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes. Bartleby.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
Richardson, Alan (2004). "Byron and the Theatre". In Bone, Drummond (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Byron. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-78146-9.
marino, faliero, doge, venice, fifty, fifth, venetian, doge, marino, faliero, opera, donizetti, marino, faliero, opera, blank, verse, tragedy, five, acts, lord, byron, published, first, performed, 1821, first, edition, title, pagewritten, bylord, byroncharacte. For the fifty fifth Venetian doge see Marino Faliero For the opera by Donizetti see Marino Faliero opera Marino Faliero Doge of Venice is a blank verse tragedy in five acts by Lord Byron published and first performed in 1821 Marino Faliero Doge of VeniceFirst edition title pageWritten byLord ByronCharactersMarino Faliero Bertuccio Faliero Lioni Benintende Michel Steno Israel Bertuccio Philip Calendaro Dagolino Bertram Signor of the Night First Citizen Second Citizen Third Citizen Vincenzo Pietro Battista Secretary of the Council of Ten Angiolina MariannaDate premiered25 April 1821 1821 04 25 Place premieredDrury Lane LondonOriginal languageEnglishSubjectThe downfall of Marino FalieroGenreHistorical tragedySettingVenice Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Composition and publication 3 First performance 4 Influence 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksSynopsis editThe play is set in Venice in 1355 Marino Faliero recently elected Doge of Venice offends one of the chief officers of state Michele Steno Steno retaliates by writing on the Doge s throne an indecent libel on Faliero s wife For this he is tried by the Council of Forty and convicted but is only sentenced to a month s imprisonment Faliero is so outraged by this as he believes it to be an inadequate punishment for such an affront to the ruling Doge that he secretly joins in the conspiracy of a group of malcontents to abolish the constitution of Venice thinking thereby to gain revenge on his enemies The plot is discovered and Faliero is executed Composition and publication editByron was inspired to take on this subject when on examining the portraits of the Doges in the Palazzo Ducale in Venice he discovered that the portrait of Faliero had been blacked out 1 The main historical source he drew on was Marino Sanuto s Vite dei Dogi published posthumously 1733 2 3 He completed the play in July 1820 by which time he was living in Ravenna and published it in April 1821 along with his The Prophecy of Dante 4 5 He intended to dedicate it to Goethe but delays in the post between Italy and England resulted in the play being published without a dedication 6 The posthumous 1832 edition of Byron s collected works included a later dedication of the play by Byron to his friend Douglas Kinnaird 7 Marino Faliero was translated into French in 1830 and into Italian in 1838 1 First performance editByron intended his play to be read rather than acted and when he heard that the actor manager Robert William Elliston intended to stage it he caused his publisher John Murray to obtain an injunction to prevent him Elliston nevertheless performed it in a version cut almost by half at Drury Lane four days after the play was published The reaction from both audiences and critics was lukewarm perhaps as Byron thought because of the play s neoclassical form and lack of sensationalism and love interest 8 9 10 Influence edit nbsp The Execution of the Doge Marino Faliero Delacroix 1825 26 The subject of Eugene Delacroix painting The Execution of the Doge Marino Faliero 1825 26 now in the Wallace Collection in London was suggested by Byron s play 11 12 A tragedy by Casimir Delavigne on the same subject is believed to have drawn on Byron as well as on a story by E T A Hoffmann and Delavigne s play itself inspired Donizetti s opera Marino Faliero 1 Swinburne was impelled to write his own Marino Faliero by what he considered shortcomings in Byron s play 13 Henry De Vere Stacpoole took the name of one of his most famous works The Blue Lagoon from this work The Blue Lagoon in turn was adapted into three major motion pictures released in 1923 1949 and 1980 The first screen adaptation is now lost The Blue Lagoon in turn inspired the title of the 1954 monster horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon Notes edit a b c Plant 2002 p 91 Marchand 1977 p 131 Marchand 1978 p 161 Quennell 1990 p 596 Marchand 1978 pp 66 69 Marchand 1977 p 206 Marchand 1978 p 195 Quennell 1990 p 653 Smith 2005 pp 139 41 sfn error no target CITEREFSmith2005 help Marchand 1978 p 66 Duffy 2004 p 240 Harrison Colin Delacroix Ferdinand Eugene Victor Grove Art Online Oxford University Press Retrieved 22 July 2012 Ward A W amp Waller A R The Rossettis William Morris Swinburne and Others 10 Tristram of Lyonesse The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes Bartleby com Retrieved 22 July 2012 References editDuffy Steven 2004 The Wallace Collection London Scala ISBN 978 1 85759 412 6 Plant Margaret 2002 Venice Fragile City 1797 1997 New Haven Yale University Press ISBN 0 300 08386 6 venice a fragile city Marchand Leslie A ed 1977 Between Two Worlds Byron s Letters and Journals Vol 7 London John Murray ISBN 0 7195 3345 7 Marchand Leslie A ed 1978 Born for Opposition Byron s Letters and Journals Vol 8 London John Murray ISBN 0 7195 3451 8 Quennell Peter ed 1990 1950 Byron A Self Portrait Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 282754 5 Richardson Alan 2004 Byron and the Theatre In Bone Drummond ed The Cambridge Companion to Byron Cambridge Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 78146 9 External links editFull text at the Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marino Faliero Doge of Venice amp oldid 1148010666, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
