The Vespers of Palermo explained

The Vespers of Palermo
Setting:Kingdom of Sicily, 13th century
Date Of Premiere:12 December 1823
Original Language:English
Place:Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London
Genre:Tragedy

The Vespers of Palermo is an 1823 historical tragedy by the British writer Felicia Hemans. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 12 December 1823.[1] The original cast included Charles Mayne Young as Count Di Procida, Charles Kemble as Raimond Di Procida, George John Bennett as Eribert, Frederick Henry Yates as Montalba, William Chapman as Anselmo, Thomas Comer as De Couci, William Claremont as Villager, Sarah Bartley as Vittoria and Frances Harriet Kelly as Constance.[2] It is set against the backdrop of the Sicilian Vespers uprising of 1282 and, like Mary Russell Mitford's Julian of the same year, is strongly influenced by the early stages of the Risorgimento in Italy. Both draw links between Classic or Medieval repression with the defeat of Sicily's failed 1820 uprising against Bourbon rule.[3]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Nicoll p.314
  2. The Mirror of the Stage, Or, New Dramatic Censor. 1823. p.160
  3. The Encyclopedia of Romantic Literature p.860