Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne) Play Script by Eric Boagey

Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne) Eric Boagey We first see John Donne as the fashionable man-about-town of his day - courting mistresses and writing love poetry (privately circulated), but also joining naval expeditions in the war against Spain and eventually being appointed Secretary to Lord Egerton, Elizabeth’s chief law lord . Ambition achieved! Where might it lead? Not where he imagined. He falls deeply in love with Anne More, the young niece of Lord Egerton, marries her in secret and months later suffers the inevitable consequences - the wrath of her father, a spell in the Fleet Prison, dismissal from his post as Secretary and a future with little money and no prospects. The years of semi-poverty and guilt for his ‘profane youth’ bring him to a state of spiritual crisis until he reaches the second great turning point in his life. On the advice of King James and even against his own deepest conviction, he takes holy orders and finds his true vocation but never loses his humour or his human understanding. Prices Note. All prices shown are now inclusive. No additional VAT is charged on Scripts, Library Reading Service or Performing Licences. Royalty Code F Script £5.00 Library Service £1.50 Performing Licence £45.00 per performance for Hall seating up to 150 Performing Licence £50.00 per performance for Hall seating up to 400 Please note that one Performing Licence is required for each performance. Buy Online Cast Summary Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne): Synopsis The play is set at the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign and during the reign of James I. Donne’s mother delivers a secret document to her brother, who is imprisoned in the Tower and we learn that Donne comes from a family of Catholic martyrs. Donne’s amorous relationship with his mistress, Maria, and his intention to join the naval expedition to Cadiz but promising to return to Maria. Christopher, Donne’s friend from student days, tells Maria that Donne has returned but has obviously abandoned Maria and is pursuing his ambition of state employment. He becomes Secretary to Lord Egerton, Elizabeth’s chief law lord, but falls in love with Egerton’s young niece, Anne More, and secretly marries her. Anne’s father is outraged and has Donne cast into prison. He is dismissed from Egerton’s service and with a still devoted wife and a growing family, spends years in semi-poverty and suffers a spiritual crisis. Anne dies after childbirth and Donne declares he will never remarry. Still conscious of a sinful past and on the advice of James 1, he takes holy orders in the Anglican Church and rises to become Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and is acknowledged the greatest preacher of his day. Being ill and conscious of his impending death, he has a drawing made of himself in his shroud before affirming his belief in eternal life. The play moves swiftly through the dramatic events and characters in Donne’s life with a balance of humour, satire and seriousness. Quotations from his sermons and his amorous and religious poetry are used in a dramatic context. Read Sample Pages Specifications Format: Paperback Pages: iv,42 Dimensions: A5 (148mm width x 210mm height) Publisher: Jasper Publishing Published: 2009 Language: English ISBN: 978 1 906997 29 8 Links If you would like to include a link to this script, you can copy the following HTML and paste it into your own website. Link to this script in the Advanced Website: <a href=http://www.jasperpublishing.com/Products.aspx?ItemId=461>Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne), Eric Boagey</a> Link to this script in the Classic Website: <a href=http://www.JasperPublishing.com/StaticContent/461.htm>Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne), Eric Boagey</a>  Home   Advanced website with Shopping Cart

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