The Drama; its history, literature and influence on civilization . us the Pretender. The conflict between love and duty, which constitutesthe leading idea in KJioreff, is again represented undera different aspect in the tragedy of Semiera. Oleg haswrested Kiev from the hands of Oscold, its reigningprince; and the dethroned monarch, having vainly at-tempted to recover his lost authority, is cast into prisonand condemned to death. In the meantime, Kostislaff,Olegs son, has become enamored of Semiera, the daugh-ter of Oscold, and, moved by her piteous prayers, deter-mines to free her father. But
The Drama; its history, literature and influence on civilization . us the Pretender. The conflict between love and duty, which constitutesthe leading idea in KJioreff, is again represented undera different aspect in the tragedy of Semiera. Oleg haswrested Kiev from the hands of Oscold, its reigningprince; and the dethroned monarch, having vainly at-tempted to recover his lost authority, is cast into prisonand condemned to death. In the meantime, Kostislaff,Olegs son, has become enamored of Semiera, the daugh-ter of Oscold, and, moved by her piteous prayers, deter-mines to free her father. But when the liberated chief-tain, at the head of those nobles who still remainedfaithful to his cause, marches against Oleg, the claimsof patriotism and duty, for a while silenced by the voiceof love, resume their sway, and it is Rostislaff who, byhis daring and bravery, defeats the enemy and saves hisfather in the very thick of the bloody fight. It will beobserved that here, as in many other places, Sumarokoffhas borrowed from Voltaire, and there is a striking re-. Dt! fuel nil s, ui: n^ the sou of /ran the Terribir^ Hiit>ii,ii • j :>ir.,> ni Sumatijkoffs tragic uiasttr-piece^ PkmHTRII 1rktenuek, tiir soliloquy in which ranks seconii ,>n/v to that in Shaktsfioarc sRrkard hi ni:Mi-:rKu .^ IJ- IK/ Alter ail o)-iiii)ialpainting In 1 DEMETRIUS THE PRETENDER IJ semblance between the situation in which Rostislaff ispkced and that which Tite occupies in VoltairesBrute. Other resemblances evidence this borrowingquality, but they are not of a character to detract seri-ously from the authors originality. JBnn£trtu0 tf)e |3tctmtJcr. Love, or rather the sentimental affectation which fre-quently passes for love, forms the subject of Demetriusthe Pretender. Demetrius has grown tired of his Polishwife, and fixes his affections on Ksenia, the daughterof Shouisky, one of his nobles; but the maidens pre-vious betrothal to a young Galician prince is a fatal hin-drance to the accompli
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksub, booksubjectitaliandrama
