Hardy and Drama

Sheana Martin Class of 1997
Gettysburg College

Thomas Hardy's interest in drama involved both the influence drama had on his life and his personal talent of play writing. Hardy was greatly influenced by the Greek dramatists, especially Aeschylus. Hardy believed the line in Aeschylus' Agamemnon, "AELION, AELION! but may the good prevail" "formed the refrain of all really true literature" (Orel, The Unknown Thomas Hardy, 38). His opinion was that the Greek dramatists had a "firm grasp upon the harmony of human faculties in large morality" (Orel, The Unknown Thomas Hardy ). Several of Hardy's works represent the influence of the Greek dramatists. The phrase which concludes Tess of the d'Urbervilles, "The president of the immortals" is an original from the "Prometheus." There are allusions to Aeschylus in The Return of the Native, The Dynasts, the poem "Compassion," and Jude the Obscure. Also, The Mayor of Casterbridge was influenced by Sophocles' "Oedipus Tyrannus."

Another influence for Hardy was Shakespeare. Hardy did not treat Shakespeare as a model for his play writing; instead he admired his "literary aspect as a poet, man of letters, and seer of life" (Orel, The Unknown Thomas Hardy, 45). The influence of Shakespeare can be seen in Far From the Madding Crowd, when Hardy makes a reference to Othello : "And that story of the black man, who murdered his wife Desdemona?" (Hardy, p. 236). Hardy later makes a reference to Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Although Hardy was greatly influenced by the Greek dramatists and Shakespeare, he was more influenced by the mumming plays he saw in Dorset. Hardy preferred the performance of mummers, who are people who act in a pantomime. Mummers express themselves solely through facial and bodily movements. Hardy believed mumming "was an important element in his view of what theater required" (Orel, The Unknown Thomas Hardy 50).

Hardy's interest in drama does not only consist of the influence others had upon him. He was also actively involved with plays in numerous ways. He actually had a walk-on role when he was a young man in a pantomime called "Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves or Harlequin and the Genie of the Arabian Nights" (written by Gilbert a Beckett) on December 26, 1866. Hardy felt the experience would help him learn the techniques of drama. Hardy also greatly enjoyed attending plays on a regular basis.

Although Hardy once wrote a letter explaining why he didn't want to write plays, several of Hardy's works were in the form of plays. He stated that he felt "the novel affords scope for getting nearer to the heart and meanings of things than does the play" (Hardy, "The Dynasts", 139).

His greatest dramatic success was The Dynasts, an epic-drama published between 1903 and 1908. Although many critics called The Dynasts "an unactable play-like poem because of the numerous characters and great length" (Hardy, "The Dynasts" 66) it was still considered Hardy's best play. Hardy referred to it as "a monotonic delivery of speeches , with dreamy conventional gestures, something in the manner traditionally maintained by the old Christmas mummers" (Hardy, "The Dynasts" 64)

The Dynasts was actually performed in November 1914 by Harley Granville Barker. It ran at the Kingsway Theater for 72 performances. Two years later, in 1916, Hardy ran a performance of "Wessex scenes from The Dynasts" at Weymouth. This was performed at a Red-Cross campaign for funds to support an Anglo-Russian Hospital. One of Hardy's Wessex tales, "The Three Strangers," appeared as "The Three Wayfarers" and was performed at Terry's theater in 1893. Tess of the d'Urbervilles was also in the theater in several versions and was even performed in opera style with several different endings. Far From the Madding Crowd was made into a play, but it was called The Mistress of the Farm by J. Comyns Carr in 1879. Arthur W. Pinero wrote a play two years later called The Squire which contained many elements of Hardy's plot.  Pinero was tried for plagiarism because he did not credit Hardy.

Hardy wrote several other plays such as "The Mumming Play of St. George" (November, 1923) and "The Famous Tragedy of Queen of Cornwall." Hardy's interest in drama was also apparent in his poetry. In poems such as "An August Midnight" he sets a scene that he wishes the reader to see. Hardy was greatly influenced and involved in drama in many ways throughout his life.

Bibliography

Grundy, Joan. Hardy and the Sister Arts. London: The Macmillan Press LTD, 1979. Pages 70-105.

Hardy, Thomas. "Why I Don't Write Plays." Hardy and His Personal Writings, Orel, Harold, ed. London: The Macmillan Press, 1967. Page 139 - 140.

Orel, Harold. "The Dynasts on The English Stage, 1908-1919." The Thomas Hardy Journal, Vol. VIII, Feb.1992 no.1. p. 63-70.

Orel, Harold. The Unknown Thomas Hardy: Lesser Known Aspects of Hardy's Life and Career. New York: St.Martin's Press, 1987. Pages 37-66.