was published with

and

in late 1821.

and

each have the sub-title “A Tragedy”, but they were not written for the stage and are what is known as closet or verse dramas. Both works were, however, performed in London in the 1830s, with

also being staged (with some considerable success) in the same city later in the nineteenth century. In a short note for this play, Byron tells us that he has observed the dramatic “unities” of action, time, and place: it, then, follows neoclassical precedents, and a small number of characters appear in the action, while the rebellion that we see takes place, as Byron states, in “one day […] instead of the long war of the history”.

The “history” is, as Byron also tells

2761 words

Citation: White, Adam. "Sardanapalus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 September 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2314, accessed 21 November 2024.]