Mary Stuart (German: Maria Stuart) is a play by Friedrich Schiller based on the life of Mary I of Scotland. The play is subdivided in five acts and each act is divided into several scenes. The play had its première in Weimar, Germany on 14 June 1800. The play formed the basis for Donizetti's opera Maria Stuarda (1834).
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Plot summary
Mary Stuart is nominally imprisoned in England for the murder of her husband, but the real reason is her claim to the throne of England as rightful heir. While Mary’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, is hesitant about signing her death sentence, Mary is hoping for a reprieve.
After Mary finds out that the nephew of her custodian is on her side, she entrusts her life to a character invented by Schiller, Mortimer, who is supposed to give the Earl of Leicester a letter from Mary in which she asks him for help. This is a delicate situation because Leicester seems to be a supporter of Queen Elizabeth.
After numerous requests, Mary is finally granted the opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth (something that, in reality, never happened). This meeting ends in an acrimonious argument because of Mary's unwillingness to submit entirely to Elizabeth's will. It now seems as though there is no longer hope for a successful reprieve.
Complicating matters further, Mortimer tries to forcibly free Mary from prison,[1] but when his attempt fails he commits suicide.
Finally, Queen Elizabeth allows herself to be persuaded to sign Mary’s death sentence. Elizabeth insists that the only reason for signing the death decree is the pressure from her people to do so.
She hands the signed paper to her undersecretary Davison without any clear instructions on what he is supposed to do with it. In so doing, she transfers the burden of responsibility to him, certainly realizing that he will hand over the decree to Lord Burleigh, guaranteeing Mary’s death.
Burleigh demands the signed document from Davidson, who - despite his uncertainty - eventually hands it to him. Mary is executed as a result.
Recent stage history
That Mary Stuart, which holds a place in the opera repertory in Donizetti's version, can still hold the stage in its original was demonstrated in its successful production, in Peter Oswald's new translation, in a run of July 14 through September 3, 2005 at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Janet McTeer as Mary, Queen of Scots and Harriet Walter as Elizabeth of England; the production transferred to the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End, where it also played a sold-out engagement from October 7 to January 14, 2006. The production opened on Broadway on March 30, 2009 (previews), officially April 19, for a limited engagement through August 16. [2]It earned seven Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Play.
Mortimer's on-stage suicide has its dangers. On 6 December 2008, German actor Daniel Hoevels slit his neck while playing Mortimer in Mary Stuart.[3] His character's suicide scene was to feature a dull knife, though it was damaged and was replaced by a sharp one. The Thalia Theater company had requested that the sharp one be dulled too, though this was "carelessly" disregarded.[4] The near-fatal knife was bought at a local store and reportedly still contained a price tag.
Important characters
- Queen Elizabeth I
- Mary Stuart (Queen of Scotland)
- Earl of Leicester (Robert Dudley)
- Earl of Shrewsbury (George Talbot)
- Lord Burleigh
- Wilhelm Davidson (undersecretary)
- Amias Paulet (Mary’s warder)
- Mortimer, Amias' nephew (not a historical figure)
- Hanna Kennedy (not a historical figure)
External links
- Mary Stuart at Project Gutenberg (English translation)
- Summary of and commentary on the play by Gabriele Roeder
References
- ^ This is a dramatized version of the unsuccessful Babington Plot.
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Mary Stuart, with McTeer and Walter, Begins Previews on Broadway March 30,"March 30, 2009
- ^ Pearse, Damien (11 December 2008). "Actor slits his own throat as knife switch turns fiction into reality". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/11/actor-slits-throat. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28177767/
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