''Colombe's Birthday'' is a play written by

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

. In 1843, he was approached by

William Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English stage actor. The son of Irish actor-manager William Macready the Elder he emerged as a leading West End performer during the Regency era. Career Macready was born in London ...

's rival

Charles Kean Charles John Kean (18 January 181122 January 1868) was an Irish-born English actor and theatre manager, best known for his revivals of Shakespearean plays. Life Kean was born at Waterford, Ireland, a son of actor Edmund Kean and actress Mary ...

to write a play for him. Browning took up the offer and finished the play in 1844. In March of that year, he read the finished play to Kean and his wife,

Ellen Tree Ellen Kean (12 December 1805 – 20 August 1880) was an English actress. She was known as Ellen Tree until her marriage in 1842, after which she was known both privately and professionally as Mrs Charles Kean and always appeared in productions ...

, and it was accepted for production. However, they could not promise its performance until 1845 and forced Browning not to publish it until then. Despite this request, the play was published five weeks later as the next number of his ''Bells and Pomegranates'' series. The play was finally produced in 1853 through the influence of

Helen Faucit Helena Saville Faucit, Lady Martin (11 October 1817 – 31 October 1898) was an English actress. Early life Born in London, she was the daughter of actors John Saville Faucit and Harriet Elizabeth Savill. Her parents separated when she was a ...

, who starred in the first production as the title character.

Characters

* Colombe of Ravenstein – Duchess of Juliers and

Cleves Kleve (; traditional ; ; ; ; ; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Cleves was capital of a county and later a duchy ...

* Sabyne – Colombe's attendant * Adolf – Colombe's attendant * Guibert – a courtier * Gaucelme - a courtier * Maufroy – a courtier * Clugnet – a courtier * Valence – advocate of Cleves * Prince Berthold – claimant to the Duchy * Melchior – Berthold's confidant

Plot

Colombe has been Duchess of Juliers and

for a year. It is her birthday and the anniversary of her coronation to the Duchy. Prince Berthold, the claimant to the throne, arrives and attempts to take over the Duchy as its rightful heir. The poor advocate of Cleves (Valance) tells Colombe the problems occurring in the city, but stands by her when Berthold attempts to take her throne. When called upon, however, Valance admits that Berthhold has the stronger claim. The prince suggests marriage as the solution, but does not pretend to love Colombe. Valance offers her his love instead, describing how it is better to have love than power, and she agrees. In choosing this, she relinquishes the Duchy's throne to Berthold.

Critical analysis

Clyde de Loache Ryals argued that the play "shows that love and power cannot coexist" as Colombe chooses to be with her love interest Valence instead of keeping power in the Duchy. Describing it as "the closest that Browning wrote to political propaganda",

Isobel Armstrong Isobel Armstrong, (born 1937) is a British academic. She is professor emerita of English at Birkbeck, University of London and a senior research fellow of the Institute of English Studies at the University of London. She is a fellow of the Bri ...

stated that the play can be taken as "anti-

Corn Law The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. The law ...

" writing in the way that it promotes the welfare of the townspeople against the ruling class, here represented by the struggle between Valence and Colombe to rule the Duchy fairly.

Arthur Symons Arthur William Symons (28 February 186522 January 1945) was a British poet, critic, translator and magazine editor. Life Born in Milford Haven, Wales, to Cornish parents, Symons was educated privately, spending much of his time in France an ...

also remarked on the way that Browning writes in a "deliberate and reflective" way. He noted that the play's focus is on the "purely personal and psychological bearings of the act", unlike Browning's other plays which appear "fiery" and "thrilling."

Adaptations

In 1894,

Rose Eytinge Rose Eytinge (November 21, 1835 – December 20, 1911) was a Jewish American actress and author. She is thought to be the first American actress to earn a three figure salary. Biography Eytinge was born November 21, 1835 in Philadelphia ...

produced an adaptation of the play and condensed it into a single act. It was performed by

Julia Marlowe Julia Marlowe (born Sarah Frances Frost; August 17, 1865 – November 12, 1950) was an English-born American actress, known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays. Life and career Marlowe was born as Sarah Frances Frost, on Aug ...

at the

Hollis Street Theatre The Hollis Street Theatre (1885–1935) was a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, that presented dramatic plays, opera, musical concerts, and other entertainments. Brief history Boston architect John R. Hall designed the 1,600-seat theatre in 18 ...

References

{{Robert Browning 1845 plays Plays by Robert Browning