early plays early plays mark beginning fielding literary career early plays span time period production beginning actor rebellion strife divided theatrical community threatened disrupt london stage performances plays introduce fielding politics gender morality serve early basis fielding develops ideas matters career background fielding produced play february production love lasted nights start career theatre march fielding enrolled abandon theatre early plays amateur hobby later returned london earn living biographical introduction fielding works believed fielding returned london treated theatre career father stopped pounds year little evidence fielding lacked funds lack funds cause leave return writing plays fielding eventually returned february know fielding left school produced temple january suggests returned london november time return plays draft form complete england wedding day temple accepted stage fielding returned working piece lottery immediate success lasted decades combined fielding received pounds plays run placed fielding position main contributor plays currently fielding primarily viewed novelist plays suggest wished playwright career theatre fielding wrote plays handful published critical editions early plays early plays include love temple author rape rape tragedy welsh opera street opera lottery old mock doctor plays start fielding worked love disruption winter theatre season theatre royal disruption caused illness management problems incidents started love fielding play released february play revived ran nights moderately especially compared competing plays time play respectable males meet female counterpart times share parallel incident letters fielding focuses men believes prove worth marriage highlights fielding belief relationship morality beliefs introduces character types fielding use plays novels england started fielding second play finished produced later career fielding returned london end brought version don england refused produced printed information origins play come fielding preface second play fielding attributes written intended amusement production imitation don prompting fielding away play actors asked new play soon fielding rewrote parts play wedding day started play finished years later finally brought stage print theatrical career ended fielding returned london end brought version wedding day refused staged produced information origins play come fielding preface play fielding says intended leads charlotte died play produced fielding got fight impossible fielding convince join production fielding started work fourth play temple april finish end year rejected theatre play performed shows year play young law student gives studies seek pleasure attempts marry woman money fielding focuses gender equality marriage characters interaction fielding fifth play author pleasures town opened march initially ran nights marked major success play incorporates fielding response previous rejection works contains act puppet fun theatre literary community play revived times original format later medium puppet entire format plot focuses author attempts successful writing career pursue women dodge eventually emphasise literary satire fielding introduced persona adopts tradition fielding sixth play added ninth showing author april shows lasted replaced fielding production rape rape later included productions including rape rape later transformed tragedy print edition fielding added introduced style found fielding later works plot deals english hero tiny proportions defeating group giants rewarded later comical love triangle tom arthur wife tom eventually cow killed soon ghost appears meets death scene reportedly provoked laughter rare feat nature fun 17th 18th century tragedy gender roles gender politics fielding seventh play rape rape justice caught trap act comedic play ran june nights play enjoyed success renamed altered possibly update play focused mocking current news events play love comedy incorporates corrupt judge stands lovers way eventually characters attempt stop judge albeit comedic fashion fielding focus play point corruption government attack abuse power fielding expanded version tragedy ran march printed edition edited commented fielding pseudonym pretends original author contains serves earliest proof relationship fielding major changes plot outline tom rival heart tom killed instead tom able defeat changes outcome play furthermore emphasis faulty language fielding problems poorly written fielding ninth play unsuccessful letter writers new way wife home ran nights companion piece tragedy soon replaced welsh opera april play followed characters wives busy having affairs attempt wives faithful immoral characters play lack moral commentary plot tenth play new companion piece tragedy welsh opera ran times expanded street opera expanded version play street opera audience provoked print welsh opera fielding consent play serves tribute especially gay gay opera forth political government british monarchy particular mocked feud councillor expanded altered version welsh opera street opera rehearsed ran stage printed exists complete printed format possible performed government intervention original printing fielding consent uncertain fielding official version play printed plot focuses standard love story characters exhibit characteristics title fun links theme plot attacking theatre general fielding returned working wrote lottery ran january alongside play successful performed times january altered play february revised form ran nights season year occasionally story deals desire play lottery fun london lottery system support fielding thirteenth play ran february play ran nights lane run husband production length century critics believed play popular money benefit march play revived later possibly principal actors play died soon plot play discouraged new actors wanting play parts plot deals man selling wife money attempted abuse adultery laws old originally titled appeared june play ran nights later paired mock doctor play later revived attack catholics disputes play alludes trial father jesuit tried magic attempted rape young girl nature attacks catholicism play overall humour play appeared old success like play quickly dropped garden tragedy immediately ended night according fielding play use setting plot focuses love triangle characters night fell apart play later performed eventually appeared nights england later times 18th century including puppet fielding sixteenth play mock doctor dumb lady replaced garden tragedy companion play old play adaptation ran june later revised versions successful plot deals young girl pretending mute avoid having marry man like doctor man pretending doctor con characters structure concern opera extremely successful ran times season unprecedented length time play began change london theatre introduction political themes experimentation form following trend fielding pushed politics forefront plays provoked criticism sides including playwright opera fielding influence fielding theatrical tradition surrounding points fielding play like follow things accommodation world theatre worked fielding concerned audience reaction scenes internally reflected actions character love controlling behaviour helen characters believe actors performing stage primary concern fielding crafted plays reading reading defines characters focus plays fielding later works love character focuses classics ignores contemporary society similarly character temple practices law doesn read reading outlet understanding humanity fielding uses plays inform audience better understand humanity morality moral characters important concern fielding works play serves representation fielding believes surrounding relationship morality beliefs found work plays introduces character types fielding reuse plays novels use themes characters served way like believe fielding lacked orthodox understanding christianity believes fielding harsh actions particular rogers claims fielding generous sphere morality larger political religious attachment provided soldiers brave loyal require lives models absolute purity follows idea claiming eliminating moral drama life general gives fielding liberty create unconventional characters set plays having defend stance issues necessity defence usually belief privilege gender gender plays large role fielding moral critique means emphasise male character moral shortcomings problematic social cultural traditions starting love stock characters relies emphasise recalling traditional stereotypes commentary characters political implications gender extend criticism powerful female domestic public domains problems portrayed plays results domestic sphere extended politics especially points fielding critique women power gender power serve way private concerns taking priority public concerns plays novels women way discuss internal aspects humans includes emotions morality fielding uses females express ideal ways act mock women abuse relationship internal emotions morality dominate assume power theme appears early love continues especially prose parody claims virtue control ahead life fielding limit analysis gender roles living image ghost plays significant fielding plays including author plays garden tragedy fielding fails explain existence ghosts means image ghost serve metaphor fielding expectation women supposed publicly according campbell woman bears burden fielding disappointment relation internal external culturally sustain realm private life interior feeling personal identity apart public commercial world male inevitably fail fielding reliance drama self display world fears alternative fate ghost wish critic sees fielding sets inevitable fall women potter argues women victims men individuals choose man enjoy earliest examples develops fielding works virtue longer simply powerful hands woman granted agency intelligence determine sexuality counter emphasise gender removed fielding sees gender social construct balancing favoured potter weakening humanity cross adoption ridiculous qualities gender attacked fielding plays critical reception reception fielding plays received early recognition early plays placed position popularity alongside gay believed fielding greatest practising single exception shakespeare produced england middle ages nineteenth century modern critics rarely agree points scholars interested fielding highly successful career false start readers tend find conventional plays derivative sentimental ones superficial particular book published topic theatre critical approach limited fielding field reputation ruined pope arch plays rival hardly read days let performed earlier eighteenth century theater tends passed best believes fielding plays major novelist direction theatrical career suggest concerns increasingly led away pure representation fielding separation theatre forced expulsion fortunate freeing relationship commitment sense grain fielding way dramatic novels plays developed stage likely objective having reserved artistic energy examining process action reviewed considered nearly plays mark significant moments fielding theatrical life love temple author tragedy rape rape street opera similarly potter organised plays general theme developing characters believed fielding successful group plays followed love thematically comedies author tragedy old fielding popular playwright plays contain characters situations dialogues philosophy way thought vary depiction biography fielding declares time years old fielding england successful living playwright
Henry Fielding's early plays