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The Duenna: An Opera
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
- GenresPlays
94 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1775
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 15, 2025
Just wasn’t invested into any of the characters. I thought the Rivals by Sheridan had done better than this play. It was pretty cliche as well, so I knew most of what would happen, leading me not to stay super hooked into it.
March 5, 2026
“Why, sirrah! Ferdinand, you have not stole a
nun, have you?” Ferdinand, have you???
nun, have you?” Ferdinand, have you???
May 9, 2020
Read as research for my novel Parallel Lives.
December 8, 2024
The Duenna is a play that many find more interesting for its background details than for the contents of the drama. I may be influenced in saying this by the lukewarm preface to my copy, which seems to be written by someone who did not even like Sheridan much.
The suggestion seems to be that Sheridan was using many familiar tropes from other comedies of the period. Two factors make the play worthy of notice for many. Firstly it is a musical comedy, perhaps even a comic opera. Viewed in this way, the shortcomings in Sheridan’s writing might be excused if we view it as a libretto.
If so, what is of interest is the quality of the songs, and how they sound when sang. I cannot comment on this, as I am only reading the text. At the time The Duenna was certainly very popular, so the combination of Sheridan’s words with the music of a father and son (both called Thomas Linley) proved a good fit. Of course contemporary fame does not guarantee the artistic worth of The Duenna by itself.
The other point of interest is that while the story seems like the usual contrivances of rebellious daughters eloping with poor suitors against their fathers’ wishes, The Duenna has a peculiar autobiographical content. Not only did Sheridan elope with the woman that he married. She was Elizabeth Linley, daughter to one Thomas and sister of the other. Sheridan was almost making a comedy about the circumstances of how he came to be a member of the Linley family.
There are two daughters here. Clara wishes to marry Ferdinand, but her father opposes the match, so she runs away. Louisa wants to marry Antonio, but her father Jerome wishes her to marry a Jewish suitor, Isaac Mendoza. As Louisa is Ferdinand’s sister, we could see Antonio as Sheridan, with Jerome, Ferdinand and Louisa as the Linley family.
There is also a duenna, a governess or chaperone who looks after Louisa, and who would not mind marrying Isaac herself. The story involves mistaken identity and deception, but of course there are few surprises here. We know that the lovers will end up together, and that Isaac will be tricked into marrying the duenna, or at least committing to her.
The various machinations are spritely enough, but the play has certain qualities that will not appeal to modern sensibilities. Sheridan’s benevolence is far from all-inclusive. The duenna is to be mocked for being older and lacking the good looks of Clara and Louisa. Isaac is unprepossessing because he is Jewish, and Sheridan has fun showing us how the Jew is not as clever as he imagines himself to be.
Not that it matters. There are no villains here; only foolish and misguided people – fathers who put wealth over their daughter’s happiness, lovers who are wrongly jealous, and schemers who employ deceit that hurts nobody.
The Duenna is unambitious and will never be remembered for its innovations or its contribution to the development of British drama, but as a light comedy it is good enough.
The suggestion seems to be that Sheridan was using many familiar tropes from other comedies of the period. Two factors make the play worthy of notice for many. Firstly it is a musical comedy, perhaps even a comic opera. Viewed in this way, the shortcomings in Sheridan’s writing might be excused if we view it as a libretto.
If so, what is of interest is the quality of the songs, and how they sound when sang. I cannot comment on this, as I am only reading the text. At the time The Duenna was certainly very popular, so the combination of Sheridan’s words with the music of a father and son (both called Thomas Linley) proved a good fit. Of course contemporary fame does not guarantee the artistic worth of The Duenna by itself.
The other point of interest is that while the story seems like the usual contrivances of rebellious daughters eloping with poor suitors against their fathers’ wishes, The Duenna has a peculiar autobiographical content. Not only did Sheridan elope with the woman that he married. She was Elizabeth Linley, daughter to one Thomas and sister of the other. Sheridan was almost making a comedy about the circumstances of how he came to be a member of the Linley family.
There are two daughters here. Clara wishes to marry Ferdinand, but her father opposes the match, so she runs away. Louisa wants to marry Antonio, but her father Jerome wishes her to marry a Jewish suitor, Isaac Mendoza. As Louisa is Ferdinand’s sister, we could see Antonio as Sheridan, with Jerome, Ferdinand and Louisa as the Linley family.
There is also a duenna, a governess or chaperone who looks after Louisa, and who would not mind marrying Isaac herself. The story involves mistaken identity and deception, but of course there are few surprises here. We know that the lovers will end up together, and that Isaac will be tricked into marrying the duenna, or at least committing to her.
The various machinations are spritely enough, but the play has certain qualities that will not appeal to modern sensibilities. Sheridan’s benevolence is far from all-inclusive. The duenna is to be mocked for being older and lacking the good looks of Clara and Louisa. Isaac is unprepossessing because he is Jewish, and Sheridan has fun showing us how the Jew is not as clever as he imagines himself to be.
Not that it matters. There are no villains here; only foolish and misguided people – fathers who put wealth over their daughter’s happiness, lovers who are wrongly jealous, and schemers who employ deceit that hurts nobody.
The Duenna is unambitious and will never be remembered for its innovations or its contribution to the development of British drama, but as a light comedy it is good enough.
January 23, 2015
Sorry, Richard. This play is just not good. I admit it, there were a few funny jokes, but as a play, the structure was not really the best, the characters were not interesting, and the plot was not intriguing. After The Rivals, I think I was expecting more than I got, which is partially my fault for elevating my standards. Anyways, I was actually pretty disappointed that I did not enjoy it, but the ridiculous insertion of lyrics here and there was not really good at all. I am hoping that my next read from him will be a serious improvement!
May 2, 2014
This play definitely reminds me of Shakespeare's plays. Some funny scenes here that caught me off guard.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews