The Battle of Hexham; or, Days of Old: A Play in Three Acts

George Colman the YoungerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
85K words
Chapters
9

Tags

English Originals Dramatic Literature History PlayMilitary StrategyFate and FortunePower GameAntiheroPatriotismClassical DramaWitty DialogueStage ScriptAncient Style

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Battle of Hexham; or, Days of Old: a play in three acts by George ColmanAuthor: Colman, George, 1762-1836,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 25, 2011

Editor's review

George Colman's three-act play The Battle of Hexham; or, Days of Old belongs to the historical drama tradition in English literature, unfolding its dramatic narrative against the background of events in English history. Its reading value lies mainly at the level of style and theater history: the three-act structure is clear, and the dialogue and stage arrangement reflect the writing habits of the eighteenth-century English theater, making it suitable for observing how historical subjects were rewritten as stage works. As a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy for researchers and theater enthusiasts to obtain the original text. It should be noted that this is a play, not a work of historical scholarship; the plot serves stage effect and the tastes of its time and cannot be read as historical fact. It is best understood within the context of English theater history and the historical drama tradition, with attention to character arrangement, the development of conflict, and the style of the lines, rather than seeking modern plot pacing. For readers studying English dramatic texts or researching adaptations of historical drama, it is a light but meaningful piece of material.

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Reading tips

  1. First read the act divisions and the list of characters, clarify the relationships, and then enter the dialogue to reduce difficulty in understanding.
  2. Read it aloud or try it as a role-reading exercise to experience the rhythm of the lines and the stage arrangement.
  3. Read it in connection with the tradition of English historical drama, paying attention to how historical events are rewritten as stage conflict.
  4. After finishing, briefly outline the three-act structure and the development of conflict to test your understanding of the play form.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

FAQ

Is this a historical work or a dramatic work? The materials show that it is a three-act play by George Colman, classified under English literature, not a work of historical scholarship. It takes historical events as its subject but serves stage narrative and the tastes of its time; the plot should not be taken as a factual basis in reading.
Can I read this play without knowing English history? Yes. It is advisable first to learn the brief background of the historical events involved in the play before entering the text; even with limited background knowledge, one can start from the character relationships, the development of conflict, and the style of the lines, reading it as a dramatic text without having to verify historical facts point by point.
Is this play suitable for practicing English? It is suitable as close-reading material for a short English play, being not long and clearly structured, and easy to work through act by act. However, the lines have period language features, so it is advisable to read with a dictionary and notes, focusing on the rhythm of dialogue and dramatic expression rather than literal translation word by word.
What should I focus on when reading this play? You may focus on the arrangement of the three-act structure, the character setup and the way conflict develops, and how historical subjects are transformed into stage scenes. If studying theater history, you may also note the style of the lines and the theatrical writing habits of the time, understanding it within the tradition of English historical drama.

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About the author

George Colman the Younger Author · British · 1762–1836

George Colman (1762–1836), commonly known as George Colman the Younger, was a British playwright and theatre manager. Born in London, he was the son of George Colman the Elder and took over the Haymarket Theatre in 1789, writing comedies, operas and melodramas while managing the theatre. His plays range widely in subject: comedies of English manners such as John Bull, operas such as Inkle and Yarico, historical and dramatic pieces such as The Surrender of Calais and The Battle of Hexham, and lighter works such as Broad Grins. From 1824 until his death he served as Examiner of Plays, a post in which he was known for strictness. Public information on his life and work is limited; scholars generally place his plays within the popular theatrical tradition of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.