Theatre
Saul
Charles Heavysege · 1857
Opening lines
Zaph
Gently, this is sacred ground ;
Foot it in a quiet round ;
Tiptoe, keep a keen look out
Whilst I join awhile the bout.
Text quoted from canadiana.ca
Synopsis
Israel, under the threat of the Philistines. Saul has just been made king. At Gilgal, weary of waiting for the prophet Samuel, he offers the sacrifice himself, then fails to carry out the divine command against Amalek to the end. An evil spirit sent by the Lord, Malzah, then enters him and throws him into fits of madness that only the harp of the young shepherd David can calm. Around him, angels and demons contend for his soul. When David wins the favour of the people, jealousy seizes the king.
Context
The book appeared anonymously in Montreal in 1857, from Henry Rose, and was reprinted in 1859, then in 1869 in Boston, revised each time. It has three parts and one hundred and thirty-five scenes in blank verse, and was never intended for the stage. Nathaniel Hawthorne sent a copy to the North British Review, where an article of 1858, attributed to Coventry Patmore, regarded it as one of the most remarkable English works in verse ever written outside Great Britain.
Who it is for
A drama in blank verse of considerable length, to be read in parts. It helps to know a little of the biblical story of Saul and David.
Prizes and reception
Praise from Edinburgh, then the esteem of Emerson, made its author known, and the first printing sold well enough to allow the 1859 edition.
Sources for this page 11
The pages consulted to check this page.