Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags
Encyclopedia
Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags is a play originally starring Edwin Forrest
. The play was written in 1829 by John Augustus Stone
It was first performed December 15, 1829, at the Park Theater in New York City
.
In October 2004, the play was performed at the Metropolitan Playhouse
in New York City
as Metamora: Last of the Wampanoags!
, offering a prize of 500 dollars to an original play which met such criteria as, “a tragedy, in five acts, of which the hero, or principal character, shall be an aboriginal of this country.” Forrest, looking to produce a play suiting his strengths, created the contest as an opportunity to boost his acting career. With his play, Metamora, or the Last of the Wampanoags, playwright and actor John Augustus Stone
stood out amongst his competitors and took home the prize. The play, which opened on December 15, 1829, was an instant hit. Due to a combination of the highly publicized contest, Forrest’s growing celebrity, and the timely subject matter of the play itself, the performances resonated with audiences across the growing country, earning theatres record profits, of which Stone received very little. Gaining almost no profit from Metamora and earning little success with his subsequent plays, Stone threw himself into the Schuylkill River on June 1, 1834. His death was heavily publicized in the press, and soon after his death, Forrest erected a memorial in honor of Stone, which reads: “In memory of the Author of ‘Metamora’ By his Friend, FORREST."
or King Philip, who was famous for attacking the English in 1675-1676. By the mid to late nineteenth century, the popularity of Indian drama quickly declined, mostly due to many satires written in jest of the excessive bravado and grandiose common to such plays.
’s Indian Removal Act
, Metamora’s depiction of a scorned and violent savage against English settler victims raises questions about the motives of both Forrest and Stone. In an essay analyzing the issue, Scott Martin remarks, “Recent interpretations insist that Stone’s play and Forrest’s personation of the title character, coming as they did when the fate of the southeastern tribes emerged as an urgent issue in congressional debate and the public mind, represented more than a mere coincidence in the realm of popular culture." Mark Mallett argues that Forrest’s partiality to the Democratic Party
, and to Jackson, was the driving force behind Metamora. “Forrest’s play,” he asserts, “brought the Democrat’s message back into the theatre... effectively distracting public attention from the horrors of the government’s Indian Removal campaign.” However, others contend that Metamora was simply a vehicle for Forrest’s career and a story that suited the romantic ideals of its audience. “The overemphasis of political and racial ideology as the preeminent analytical context may cloud rather than clarify the relationship between Metamora and Jacksonian Indian policy. A close consideration of Metamora’s place in antebellum culture, and the contexts in which it can be interpreted, should give pause to scholars who are quick to detect efforts to engineer political advantage in very corner of art and popular culture."
Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
. The play was written in 1829 by John Augustus Stone
John Augustus Stone
John Augustus Stone was an American actor, dramatist, and playwright.-Biography:He appeared on the New York stage beginning in 1822....
It was first performed December 15, 1829, at the Park Theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In October 2004, the play was performed at the Metropolitan Playhouse
Metropolitan Playhouse
The Metropolitan Playhouse of New York, recipient of a 2011 Obie Award and grant from the Village Voice, is a producing theater in New York City. Founded in 1992, the theater is devoted to presenting plays that explore American culture, including seldom-produced American classics and new plays...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as Metamora: Last of the Wampanoags!
History
On November 28, 1828 a contest was posted in the New York Critic by American actor, Edwin ForrestEdwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
, offering a prize of 500 dollars to an original play which met such criteria as, “a tragedy, in five acts, of which the hero, or principal character, shall be an aboriginal of this country.” Forrest, looking to produce a play suiting his strengths, created the contest as an opportunity to boost his acting career. With his play, Metamora, or the Last of the Wampanoags, playwright and actor John Augustus Stone
John Augustus Stone
John Augustus Stone was an American actor, dramatist, and playwright.-Biography:He appeared on the New York stage beginning in 1822....
stood out amongst his competitors and took home the prize. The play, which opened on December 15, 1829, was an instant hit. Due to a combination of the highly publicized contest, Forrest’s growing celebrity, and the timely subject matter of the play itself, the performances resonated with audiences across the growing country, earning theatres record profits, of which Stone received very little. Gaining almost no profit from Metamora and earning little success with his subsequent plays, Stone threw himself into the Schuylkill River on June 1, 1834. His death was heavily publicized in the press, and soon after his death, Forrest erected a memorial in honor of Stone, which reads: “In memory of the Author of ‘Metamora’ By his Friend, FORREST."
Edwin Forrest
In the wake of Stone’s death, Metamora flourished even more in American theatres, with Forrest in the spotlight. In fact, no other actor “in the character of the hero qualified Mr. Forrest’s claim to the highest excellence. It was created for, and entirely fitted all his peculiarities." Though he played the lead in Metamora for forty of its sixty-year run, Forrest garnered a reputation as a respected actor and collectively had one of the best and most prolific career of any actor of the time. Some historians argue, however, that he never fully stepped away from his famous Metamora, and any leading roles he undertook “were extensions of his stage Indian, Metamora transplanted to another time and place, but still the proud, doomed individual."Plot
Metamora, or the Last of the Wampanoags follows of the story of its eponymous Indian hero and his downfall at the hand of English settlers during Puritan infiltration in seventeenth century New England. At the open of the play, Metamora is cordial, if hesitant, towards the puritans, even befriending Walter and his love Oceana, who is betrothed to Fitzarnold. The remainder of the play is devoted to the converging stories of Oceana and Walter, among other puritans, and Metamora, his wife Nehmeokee, their son, and the remainder of the Wampanoag forces. The ending is bittersweet as Oceana is at last able to marry Walter, but Metamora lays slain next to his wife and child, cursing the English with his final breaths.Themes and criticism
Though Metamora is referred to as an Indian tragedy, its themes of love, war, dramatic deaths and suicides, and declaratory speeches make the play a more likely romantic melodrama. The depiction of Metamora as a kind and “noble savage,” turned violent by force especially resonated with the mid 19th century audience. However, the play’s cultural popularity did nothing to convince critics of its literary value. Critical response was mostly negative, and as one critic very harshly put it, “Mr. Stone did what he could to atone for the injury which he had inflicted upon the world by the production of this play. He drowned himself. We will accept the presumptive apology.” Though widely unpopular with contemporary critics of the day, most acknowledged the success of Forrest as the play’s lead. “This drama was indebted for its success almost entirely to the actor, as its literary merits were feeble” states biographer James Rees.American character types: the Indian
In the years following such pivotal events in history as the American Revolution and the war of 1812, a strong feeling of nationalism infiltrated early America. This sense of national pride influenced not only everyday life, but also became evident in the arts, including early American theatre. After a time when mostly British theatre was performed in the American colonies, a desire to create drama specific to America emerged. America needed to establish itself in the midst of the well-developed drama and literature of other nations, as well as set a standard for what is uniquely American. However, this need for nationalism soon manifested itself in drama through American character types: the Negro, the Yankee, and in the case of Metamora, the Indian. As historian Walter Meserve points out, “American literature became identifiable only after writers had recognized the potential of American scenery, custom, characters, and ideas... in a sense, they were bound together by a similar desire for freedom: the Yankee from the English, the Indian from the Yankees, and the Negro from bondage.” Depictions of oppressed, underdog characters such as the Yankee, Negro, and Indian overcoming captivity, or dying gloriously, represented the themes of freedom and liberty that characterized the newly independent America.Indian drama
In the nineteenth century, about seventy-five Indian plays were written. The first American play with an Indian hero was a closet drama from 1776, marking the beginning of what would become one of the biggest trends of the century. The character Metamora was inspired by New England Chief, MetacometMetacomet
Metacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, or occasionally Pometacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War, a widespread Native American uprising against English colonists in New England.-Biography:Metacomet was the second son of Massasoit...
or King Philip, who was famous for attacking the English in 1675-1676. By the mid to late nineteenth century, the popularity of Indian drama quickly declined, mostly due to many satires written in jest of the excessive bravado and grandiose common to such plays.
Metamora and the Indian Removal Act
Opening only one year before the passage of Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
’s Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
, Metamora’s depiction of a scorned and violent savage against English settler victims raises questions about the motives of both Forrest and Stone. In an essay analyzing the issue, Scott Martin remarks, “Recent interpretations insist that Stone’s play and Forrest’s personation of the title character, coming as they did when the fate of the southeastern tribes emerged as an urgent issue in congressional debate and the public mind, represented more than a mere coincidence in the realm of popular culture." Mark Mallett argues that Forrest’s partiality to the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and to Jackson, was the driving force behind Metamora. “Forrest’s play,” he asserts, “brought the Democrat’s message back into the theatre... effectively distracting public attention from the horrors of the government’s Indian Removal campaign.” However, others contend that Metamora was simply a vehicle for Forrest’s career and a story that suited the romantic ideals of its audience. “The overemphasis of political and racial ideology as the preeminent analytical context may cloud rather than clarify the relationship between Metamora and Jacksonian Indian policy. A close consideration of Metamora’s place in antebellum culture, and the contexts in which it can be interpreted, should give pause to scholars who are quick to detect efforts to engineer political advantage in very corner of art and popular culture."
See also
- "Metamora, by John Augustus Stone ROMANTICIZING WAR", Metropolitan Play House
- "The last Indian" syndrome revisited: Metamora, take two., Intertexts 22-March-06