''Antiochus'' is a 1721

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

by the British writer

John Mottley John Mottley (1692–1750) was an English writer, known as a dramatist, biographer, and compiler of jokes. Life He was the son of Colonel Thomas Mottley, a Jacobitism, Jacobite adherent of James II in his exile, who entered the service of Louis ...

. The play is set in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, revolving round the relationship between

Stratonice of Syria Stratonice or Stratonica of Syria (, ''Stratoníkē'', "victory of the army", c. 320 BC – 254 BC) was Queen of the Seleucid Empire from 300 BC until 294 BC and from 281 BC until 261 BC. Biography Stratonice of Syria was the daughter of king D ...

and

Seleucus I Nicator Seleucus I Nicator (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ, ''Séleukos Nikátōr'', "Seleucus the Victorious"; ) was a Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general, officer and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to fo ...

and his son

Antiochus I Soter Antiochus I Soter (, ''Antíochos Sōtér''; "Antiochus Soter, the Savior"; 2 June 261 BC) was a Ancient Greece, Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in 281 BC and reigned during a period of instabi ...

, the leaders of the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...

. The original

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is located in Holborn and is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a ...

cast included

James Quin James Quin (24 February 1693 – 21 January 1766) was an English actor of Irish descent. Life Quin was born in King Street, Covent Garden, London, an illegitimate son of James Quin, an Irish-born barrister, and his partner (whom he apparently ...

as Selecus,

Lacy Ryan Lacy Ryan (c. 1694–1760), English actor, appeared at the Haymarket Theatre about 1709. Life By 1718 he had joined the company at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he shared the lead with his friend James Quin. He took leading roles in ''Richar ...

as Antiochus,

John Egleton John Egleton (1698-1727) was a British stage actor. He was a member of the Lincoln's Inn Fields company between 1717 and 1726, and also routinely performed at the summer fairs in London. In 1721 he married the actress Jane Giffard.Johanson p.409 ...

as Arsaces, Richard Diggs as Cleartes,

Anthony Boheme Anthony Boheme (died 1731) was a British stage actor of the eighteenth century. His year of birth is unknown. From 1720 he was a long-standing part of John Rich's company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre until his death. He was married to the ...

as Nicanor, Elizabeth Spiller as Semandra and

Anna Maria Seymour Anna Maria Seymour or Mrs Seymour (c. 1692 – 10 July 1723) was a British actress. Life Seymour is first heard of in 1717 when she appeared at Drury Lane in ''The Scowrers''. She took leading roles in Richard III and Hamlet with Lacy Ryan as we ...

as Stratonice.

References

Bibliography

* Baines, Paul & Ferarro, Julian & Rogers, Pat. ''The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing, 1660-1789''. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. * Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992. 1721 plays West End plays Plays by John Mottley British tragedy plays Plays set in ancient Greece Cultural depictions of Greek monarchs Plays based on real people Plays set in the 3rd century BC {{18thC-play-stub