The Treason and Death of Benedict Arnold: A Play for a Greek Theatre

Chapman, John Jay, 1862-1933Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 54K words
Chapters: 6

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 Treason and Death of Benedict Arnold: A Play for a Greek Theatre by ChapmanAuthor: Chapman, John Jay, 1862-1933,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 31, 2008

Editor's review

This verse drama is based on the historical event of Benedict Arnold's treason during the American Revolutionary War. The author, John Jay Chapman, structures the play in the form of a Greek theater, giving the historical subject the ritual solemnity and distance of classical tragedy. The work's value lies not in reconstructing historical details but in using the traitor's inner struggle to explore the tension between loyalty, honor, and self-destruction; both the arrangement of the chorus and the dialogue serve this moral examination. For readers familiar with American history or interested in classical dramatic form, this is a short but rewarding text; the stage directions and choral passages also offer a sample of how early twentieth-century American men of letters borrowed classical forms. It is best read as a drama of ideas rather than a plot-driven play, attending to the contrast between the protagonist's self-justifying monologues and the chorus's judging voice in order to appreciate the author's formal choices.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of the American Revolutionary War and the Arnold affair
Readers who study or enjoy ancient Greek dramatic form and verse drama
Literary readers drawn to themes of moral dilemma in historical figures
Readers who wish to sample early twentieth-century American literary taste through a short play

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular drama expecting tight plotting and action
Scholars requiring detailed historical documentation and annotation
Readers impatient with verse dialogue and choral form

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the basic facts of Arnold's treason before reading; the characters' motives will be easier to grasp.
Read the choral passages straight through once, noting the contrast between their judging tone and the protagonist's monologues.
Compare the play with the common structure of Greek tragedy and observe how the author transplants the chorus and messenger.
The play is short; read it in one sitting, then revisit key monologues to appreciate the precision of the wording.

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.

FAQ

Is this play a history play or a work of fiction?

It draws on the real historical event of Benedict Arnold's treason, but it adopts verse drama and the form of a Greek theater; the dialogue and choral commentary carry obvious literary elaboration and moral allegory, so it should not be read as a factual record.

Why is it called "for a Greek Theatre"?

It means the author deliberately borrows the performance framework of ancient Greek drama, including the chorus, ritualized scenes, and typological characterization, so that a modern historical subject gains the universality and distance of classical tragedy.

Can I understand it without a background in American history?

The main conflict is understandable, since the play focuses on the traitor's inner justification and his sense of honor. But knowing beforehand who Arnold was and his role in the Revolutionary War makes the specific references in the dialogue easier to follow.

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About the author

Chapman, John Jay, 1862-1933 Author · American · 1862–1933

John Jay Chapman (1862–1933) was an American essayist, poet, and critic. The writings he left behind deal chiefly with literature, politics, and morality; his style is argumentative, often beginning from particular figures and public events and proceeding to judgments on social conduct and moral responsibility. His representative works include Emerson and Other Essays and the play The Treason and Death of Benedict Arnold: A Play for a Greek Theatre. The former shows his concern with literary criticism, while the latter treats the theme of loyalty and betrayal in American history in the form of classical drama. Public information about the details of his life is limited; this note confines itself to the subjects and tendencies of his surviving works.