Chapter 3 - Roman Fathers and Grecian Daughters: Tragedy and the Nation
Summary
The third chapter ( ‘Roman Fathers and Grecian Daughters ‘) shifts to considering how emotional response was manipulated for political and national goals. It examines the serious drama of the second half of the eighteenth century, focusing in particular on representations of the relationship between father and daughter. On the stage, this relationship is articulated in national terms so that the father becomes the fatherland to be served and protected by any means possible. Mid-century plays use the story of Virginia, who allowed her father to kill her in order to overthrow a tyrant, as a means of stressing England ‘s status as the home of liberty. Later in the century, Arthur Murphy ‘s The Grecian Daughter demonstrates a different version of the father-daughter dynamic, as the daughter saves her royal father from death by feeding him with her own milk, thereby saving his kingdom and parenting her fatherland. Siddons ‘s powerful performance in the role emphasized the heroic nature of the character and drew comparisons to Britain ‘s heroic emblem Britannia.
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- Information
- Theatres of Feeling , pp. 70 - 101Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019