Book Description
"The Indian Emperor" This 1665 stage play written by English Poet Laureate John Dryden, revised in 1667, has been adapted to modern play format and combined with additional materials by screenwriter/author Suzanne Alexander. "The Indian Emperor" is a dramatic heroic rhyme play structured in five acts, and while not historically accurate, it provides an interesting look into the 1519 conquest of Mexico by Hernando Cortez. Dryden chose to craft a love story between Montezuma’s daughter Cydaria and Cortez with a supporting cast of characters that includes a scheming set of siblings of the deceased Queen, a noble son of Montezuma and his less noble brother, and a host of warriors, ghosts, and Spanish soldiers. Also included are Dryden’s Epistle Dedicatory, Prologue, Epilogue, Cast List, Preface, and Defense of an Essay of Dramatic Poesy, written in response to criticism of his dramatic rhyme style.
About the Author
Suzanne Alexander is an author of nonfiction and fiction works as well as screenplays and audiovisual corporate scripts. She graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington with degrees in biomedical communications and documentary film. She has several books currently in publication.
Indian Emperor: A 1600s Play by John Dryden FROM THE PUBLISHER
"The Indian Emperor" is John Dryden's masterful dramatic rhyme play performed before the court of England in the 1660s. Although not historically accurate, it is a love story set during the Conquest of Mexico in 1519 by Hernando Cortez. Dryden was Poet Laureate of England. He believed passionately in the power and value of poetic verse in dramatic plays. "The Indian Emperor" has been adapted to a modern play format for this publication. Included with the play are a brief biography of John Dryden, the original introduction of the play in a letter he wrote to the court of England, prologue, epilogue, character list, and Dryden's "Essay On The Defense of Dramatic Poesy:" his reaction to the criticism of his writing style by one of his contemporaries.
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