''Zorinski'', also known as ''Casimir, King of Poland'', is a 1795

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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 ...

in three acts by the British playwright Thomas Morton. It enjoyed considerable success. The play's plot was "founded on the adventures of Stanislaus." Shortly after the play's 1795 premiere, an anonymous pamphlet titled ''Mr. Morton's "Zorinski" and Brooke's "Gustavus Vasa" Compared'' alleged that Morton's play was essentially

plagiarized Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of anothe ...

from Henry Brooke's 1738 ''Gustavus Vasa'' — Morton's characters Rodomosko, Rosolia, and Zorinski were respectively Brooke's Cristiern, Cristina, and Gustavus; Morton's salt-mines were Brooke's copper-mines, and so on.

Performances

''Zorinski'' first appeared at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, on 20 June 1795. The cast included William Barrymore as Zorinski,

James Aickin James Aickin (died 1803), was an Irish stage actor who worked at the Edinburgh Theatre in Scotland and in theatres in the West End of London. He was the younger brother of the actor Francis Aickin (died 1803) with whom he shared the stage at t ...

as Casimir, King of Poland,

Robert Bensley Robert Bensley (c. 1740 – 1817) was an 18th-century English actor, of whom Charles Lamb in the ''Essays of Elia'' speaks with special praise. Life His early life is obscure, but his family was not poor: an uncle, Sir William Bensley, was ...

as Rodomsko,

Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a British actor from the prominent Kemble family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble, and Ir ...

as Radanzo, John Bannister as Zarno,

John Henry Johnstone John Henry Johnstone (1749–1828), also known as 'Jack' Johnstone or 'Irish' Johnstone, was an Irish actor, comedian and singer. He was a notable performer of Stage Irishman roles. Life Johnstone was born probably on 1 August 1749, in the hor ...

as O'Curragh,

Richard Suett Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

as Amalekite,

John Fawcett John Fawcett may refer to: In the arts *John Fawcett (actor died 1793), British actor *John Fawcett (actor) (1768–1837), his son, English actor and playwright *John Fawcett (director) (born 1968), Canadian director of film and television *John Fa ...

as Witski, Thomas Caulfield as Naclo, Elizabeth Kemble as Rosolia and Maria Bland as Winifred. It included music composed by Samuel Arnold. The Irish premiere was at the

Crow Street Theatre Crow Street Theatre was a theatre in Dublin, Ireland, originally opened in 1758 by the actor Spranger Barry. From 1788 until 1818 it was a patent theatre. History Spranger Barry and Henry Woodward The actor Spranger Barry (1719–1777), born ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

on 28 November 1795.

References

Bibliography

* Kozar, Richard & Burling, William J. ''Summer Theatre in London, 1661-1820, and the Rise of the Haymarket Theatre''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 2000. * Hogan, C.B (ed.) ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume V''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1968. 1795 plays Tragedy plays West End plays Plays by Thomas Morton Plays set in Poland Historical plays {{1790s-play-stub