Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery - Wikipedia Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Sodom is an obscene Restoration closet drama, published in 1684. The work has been attributed to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester,[1] though its authorship is disputed.[2] Determining the date of composition and attribution are complicated owing mostly to misattribution of evidence for and against Rochester's authorship in Restoration and later texts. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Interpretation 4 Performance history 5 Modern media 6 References Plot[edit] The play consists of five acts in rhyming couplets. There are two prologues, two epilogues and a short final speech. The play begins with Bolloxinion, King of Sodom, authorising same-sex sodomy as an acceptable sexual practice within the realm. General Buggeranthos reports that this policy is welcomed by the soldiers, who spend less on prostitutes as a consequence, but has deleterious effects on women of the kingdom who have recourse to "dildoes and dogs". Prince Pricket and Princess Swivia commit incest with one another. With the court and country reduced to erotic madness, the court physician counsels: "Fuck women, and let Bugg'ry be no more". The king himself, however is unconvinced, while the Queen dies of venereal disease. Amid the appearance of demons, fire, and brimstone, Bolloxinion declares his intention to retire to a cavern and die in the act of sodomising his favourite – Pockenello.[3] Cast[edit] Bolloxinion – King of Sodom Cuntigratia – his Queen Pricket – young Prince Swivia – Princess Buggeranthos – General of the Army Pockenello – Prince and favourite of the King Borastus – Buggermaster-General Pene & Tooly – Pimps of Honour Officina – Maid of Honour Fuckadilla – Maid of Honour Cunticulla – Maid of Honour Clytoris – Maid of Honour Flux – Physician to the King Vertuso – Dildo- and Merkin-Maker for the Court Interpretation[edit] Sodom merits attention not just as an early piece of scabrous literature, but also as a disguised satire on the court of Charles II and especially of his apparent willingness to tolerate Catholicism in England at a time when that religion was officially proscribed. Written presumably at the time of Charles's 1672 Declaration of Indulgence (which promulgated official toleration of Catholics and others), Sodom delineates in its racy plot a king much like Charles whose insistence on promoting his sexual preference for sodomy can be read as an analogue to the debate in England at the time about the king's real motive in pushing religious toleration.[citation needed] Performance history[edit] Sodom is popularly classified as closet drama, which means it has not had a major performance for centuries. The play was publicly performed in 1986 for six weekends at Broom Street Theater in Madison, Wisconsin.[4] Sodom was revived at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011 by the Movement Theatre Company, in what is described as a "reconstructed" version. Modern media[edit] In the film The Libertine, Johnny Depp, as Rochester, is seen staging Sodom in front of an outraged Charles II, with Rochester taking the role of the King of Sodom. References[edit] ^ J.W. Johnson, "Did Lord Rochester write Sodom?", Publications of the Bibliographical Society 81 (1987) 119-153 ^ Harold Love, "But Did Rochester Really Write Sodom?", Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 87 (1993) 319-336 ^ Phyllis and Eberhard Kronhausen (1969) Erotic Fantasies: A Study in the Sexual Imagination. New York, Grove Press: 26-32 ^ Kovalic, John (April 26, 1986). "'Sodom' isn't for the faint of heart". Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 36. Richard Elias, "Political Satire in Sodom," Studies in English Literature 18 (1978) 423-438 Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Farce of Sodom, or The Quintessence of Debauchery v t e Restoration comedy Playwrights Aphra Behn Susanna Centlivre Colley Cibber William Congreve John Dryden George Etherege George Farquhar Edward Howard James Howard Robert Howard Thomas Otway Charles Sedley Thomas Shadwell Thomas Southerne Richard Steele John Vanbrugh George Villiers William Wycherley Notable Plays The Indian Emperour (1665) The Committee; Or, The Faithful Irishman (1665) The Mulberry-Garden (1668) Tarugo's Wiles: or, The Coffee-house (1668) The Rehearsal (1671) Marriage à la mode (1672) The Country Wife (1675) Aureng-zebe (1675) The Plain-Dealer (1676) The Man of Mode (1676) Venice Preserv'd (1682) Bellamira (1687) Love for Love (1700) Love's Last Shift (1696) The Relapse (1696) The Way of the World (1700) The Recruiting Officer (1706) The Beaux' Stratagem (1707) Characters Fop Spark Rake Related People Charles II Jeremy Collier Thomas Hobbes Marquis de Sade Molière James II Georg Monck John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Related articles Bedlam Chocolate houses Comedy of manners Court Drury Lane Fleet Prison Hedonism The Libertine (1994) The Libertine (film) Libertinism Lincoln's Inn Fields Mode Restoration of Charles II Second Anglo-Dutch War Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage Wit Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sodom,_or_the_Quintessence_of_Debauchery&oldid=960056950" Categories: English Restoration plays 1684 plays Works of uncertain authorship LGBT-related plays Sodom and Gomorrah Incest in plays Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages Français Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 31 May 2020, at 22:28 (UTC). 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