The State of Innocence
Encyclopedia
The State of Innocence was intended to be performed as an opera
, with the libretto
written in 1674, (first published in 1677) by John Dryden
. It is basically a musical stage adaptation of John Milton
's epic poem Paradise lost
, a tribute to Milton rather than a satire of the poem. That Dryden was an admirer of Milton's is surprising as the two men were politically opposed. Milton was against the restoration
of the British monarchy, while the royalist Dryden was created England’s first Poet Laureate
by the restored Charles II
.
So great an admirer of Milton was Dryden that he said of the blind writer: "This man cuts us all out." Milton actually gave permission for Paradise Lost to be transformed by Dryden, saying "Ay, you may tag my verses if you will." The presumptuousness of Dryden's proposal never occurred to him.
Written in heroic couplets, The State of Innocence begins thus:
It seems the musical score was never written to accompany the libretto. The State of Innocence has never been performed. At the time of its writing, the scenery required, and special effects like "rebellious angels wheeling in the air, and seeming transfixed with thunderbolts" over "a lake of brimstone or rolling fire", were too expensive for the King's Company, for which Dryden was working, and too technically demanding for their Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
.
Though the special effects required fall outside the reach of most independent projects, a silent film adaptation can be seen at http://vimeo.com/22760943.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, with the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
written in 1674, (first published in 1677) by John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
. It is basically a musical stage adaptation of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's epic poem Paradise lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
, a tribute to Milton rather than a satire of the poem. That Dryden was an admirer of Milton's is surprising as the two men were politically opposed. Milton was against the restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of the British monarchy, while the royalist Dryden was created England’s first Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
by the restored Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
So great an admirer of Milton was Dryden that he said of the blind writer: "This man cuts us all out." Milton actually gave permission for Paradise Lost to be transformed by Dryden, saying "Ay, you may tag my verses if you will." The presumptuousness of Dryden's proposal never occurred to him.
Written in heroic couplets, The State of Innocence begins thus:
- Is this the seat our conqueror has given?
- And this the climate we must change for heaven?
- These regions and this realm my wars have got;
- This mournful empire is the loser's lot;
- In liquid burnings, or on dry, to dwell,
- Is all the sad variety of hell."
It seems the musical score was never written to accompany the libretto. The State of Innocence has never been performed. At the time of its writing, the scenery required, and special effects like "rebellious angels wheeling in the air, and seeming transfixed with thunderbolts" over "a lake of brimstone or rolling fire", were too expensive for the King's Company, for which Dryden was working, and too technically demanding for their Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
.
Though the special effects required fall outside the reach of most independent projects, a silent film adaptation can be seen at http://vimeo.com/22760943.