Douglas

Douglas (1758). John Home's only successful tragedy tells of Lady Randolph, who, after the death of her husband and disappearance of her son, has married Lord Randolph. When he goes off to war, he is rescued from certain death by the brave Young Norval, who has been raised by a shepherd, Old Norval. The young man, of course, turns out to be Lady Randolph's long‐lost son and assumes his rightful name of Douglas. But Lord Randolph's mind is poisoned against Douglas by the crafty Glenalvon. Douglas is murdered, Lady Randolph throws herself from a cliff, and Lord Randolph (recognizing the wrong he has abetted) goes off, hoping to die in battle. The play apparently was first produced in America in 1758, two years after its London premiere, although the original cast‐list has not survived. It was revived shortly afterward in Philadelphia with the young Lewis Hallam as Young Norval, David Douglass as Lord Randolph, and Mrs. Douglass (the elder Hallam's widow) as Lady Randolph. The play remained popular for about one hundred years, and the role of Young Norval became a popular debutant role for such performers as John Howard Payne.