Venice Preserv'd: Or, a Plot Discover'd. a Tragedy. Written by Mr. Thomas Otway

by Thomas Otway

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Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, Theatre, 17th Century, School, Fiction

88 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1682

About the author

Thomas Otway was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or A Plot Discover'd (1682).

Reviews

[Steve Morrison]

Hugo von Hoffmansthal wrote a nice dialogue between Balzac and Baron Joseph Hammer-Purgstall in which Balzac claims that his own creation, the outrageous Vautrin, believes Otway's play is the finest of all theatrical creations. So based on the recommendation of a literary character, twice removed, I sought out the play and was delighted with it. There are indeed some similarities between Otway's Pierre and Balzac's Vautrin.
All in all, one of the best post-Shakespeare English tragedies I've read.

[Zuzanna W]

ass

[M.J. Logue]

Dear God this was hard work. If I hadn't had to read it to the end I would have gouged my eyes out with a teaspoon.

[Isabelle Verdino]

Another play I read for my LIT 337 class. We had lots of thoughts about this. We think that Otway was much more interested in the relationship between Jaffier and Pierre than he was with Jaffier and Belvidera's characters. Jaffier and Belvidera spent all of their interactions speaking past each other; following the same rhetorical style of asking rhetorical questions and speaking about themselves in the third person (with a hefty dose of extended metaphor). Jaffier and Pierre's scenes flew back and forth conversationally with action and energy and emotion. To be honest, we said that if Otway committed to this homoerotic subtext, it would be a bit of a more successful companion to Brokeback Mountain.

As it is, Otway couldn't see or decide what would make a good play. The safe plot and the risky side are combatting the entire way through. Aquilina and Pierre are more stable, complex, and interesting characters but were delegated to a subplot. There were a few interesting parts, but not many. I just wish so badly he had fully committed to the plot he was obviously interested in telling.

[Princess Tuvstarr]

What, my Nicky Nacky, hurry durry, Nicky Nacky in the plot—I’ll make a speech.

A truly major play, that gets its achievement from the whole, not the parts.
Its author, Otway, choked to death on a piece of bread.

Nacky, my dear Nacky, morrow, Nacky. Odd, I am very brisk, very merry, very pert, very jovial—haaaaa—kiss me

[Bryn Hammond]

Revolution, an outrageous sublimated friendship, total melodrama, torture on stage, and the woman main gets a Lear-sized mad speech I associate with male characters. The verse is often plain, but now and then it's pretty.
What's not to like?

[Michal Bitan]

I find it hard to believe Jaf. actually married Bel. in the first place. He is far too easily persuaded in all directions to convince the audience or reader that he would do something so bold out of his own will. I probably missed a crucial point, as this most talked about character seems flimsy.

[James]

Restoration Era. It's weird.

[Michael P.]

Otway's great Restoration tragedy.

[tanita]

hello nacky nacky ;)

[Waleed]

I read this in advance of seeing Prasanna Puwanarajah's RSC production of Venice Preserved at the Swan Theatre, Stratford. The production (May-Sep 2019) was outstanding, but the original text itself is a bit of a slog. A restoration drama filled with allusions to contemporary (1682) politics and very unsympathetic male characters.

[Daniel]

OK. So two nobleman (Jaffier and Pierre) conspire to massacre the Venetian senate to avenge themselves on senatorial corruption. Both men are motivated by a desire to punish the selfish senators who have mistreated them and their respective beloveds (Belvidera and Aquilina). Jaffier doesn't know about the conspiracy (already long brewing) until Pierre tells him in Act I. The lead conspirator, Renault, suspects Jaffier of dishonesty when J. unexpectedly shows up to an undercover meeting and declares his desire to join the rebel cause. Renault takes Belvidera as ransom; he nearly rapes her one night. She tells J.; J.'s pissed, and reports the whole conspiracy to the senate, asking that they release the conspirators for his honesty. They refuse. B. begs, and they yield, but too late. P.'s already on the gallows. This is a political play, and Otway's best readers (not me) will be those who think about this tragedy in the context of English Restoration politics.

[Rachel]

My least favorite Restoration drama thus far. The language is strikingly beautiful at times, but overly dramatic & heightened. There are several scenes where characters do a very soap-opera like exchange of not daring to speak! but having another character drag it out of him/her. Very melodramatic at times, and there are few characters I really sympathize with.

[Judy]

I actually read this one as an etext via google books - a powerful tragedy which is quite reminiscent of Shakespeare. I seem to find older tragedies easier to take in than older comedies.

[Ereck]

Reread August 2011

[Tinquerbelle]

Wilson, John Harold
Six Restoration Plays

In compilation only.

[Lawrence]

Belvidera, Jaffeir, and Pierre make a compelling triad, and there's something fascinating (if depressing!) about a tragedy without a clear moral lesson.

[Indigo Wayworth]

I mean... it was fine. No strong opinions on it.

Read for ENGL 3020: Restoration Drama

[Amy]

Read for Restoration Literature. Otway pushed back against the gender stereotypes and fooled society into agreeing without fully understanding.

[Raidah Ahmed]

Honestly speaking, I didn't like it at all. It seemed like the whole story has been forcefully dragged into a tragic ending🤦🏻

[Jad Wannous]

I really hate RESTORATION DRAMA. Maybe the only good thing in this play was PIERR.
------------------------------------------------------------------JAFFEIR. I'm thinking, Pierre, how that damned starving quality
called HONESTY got footing in the world.
PIERRE. Why, powerful villainy first set it up,
for its own ease and safety: honest men
are the soft easy cushions on which knaves
repose and fatten: were all mankind villains,
they'd starve each other; lawyers would want practice,
cut-throats rewards: each man would kill his brother himself,
none would be paid or hanged for murder:
HONESTY was a cheat invented first
to bind the hands of bold deserving rogues,
that fools and cowards might sit safe in power,
and lord it uncontrolled above their betters.
JAFFEIR. Then HONESTY is but a notion.
PIERR. Nothing else,
like wit, much talked of, not to be defined:
he that pretends to most, too, has least share in't;
'tis a ragged virtue: HONESTY! no more on't.