The Frozen Deep

The Frozen Deep
Name	The Frozen Deep
Writer	Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens
Premiere	1857

The Frozen Deep is a play written by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, first performed in 1857 at Tavistock House, the London home of Charles Dickens. The play was written for a benefit performance for the family of Augustus Le Plongeon, a friend of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, and was later performed at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and other venues, including the Manchester Theatre Royal and the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. The play's success led to collaborations between Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens on other projects, such as The Woman in White and A Tale of Two Cities, which were published in All the Year Round and Household Words, two literary magazines edited by Charles Dickens. The play's themes and characters were also influenced by the works of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley, and were performed by notable actors of the time, including Charles Fechter and Tom Taylor.

Introduction

The Frozen Deep is a melodrama that explores themes of love, sacrifice, and redemption, set against the backdrop of the Franklin Expedition to the Arctic in the 1840s. The play was written during a time of great interest in Arctic exploration, with expeditions led by James Clark Ross, John Franklin, and Robert McClure making headlines in The Times and other newspapers. The play's authors, Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, were both fascinated by the stories of these expeditions and the bravery of the explorers, including John Rae and Leopold McClintock, who had traveled to the Canadian Arctic and the North Pole. The play's characters and plot were also influenced by the works of Homer, Virgil, and Dante Alighieri, and were performed with music composed by Franz Liszt and Giuseppe Verdi.

Background

The Frozen Deep was first performed on January 5, 1857, at Tavistock House, with a cast that included Charles Dickens himself, as well as Wilkie Collins, Augustus Le Plongeon, and other friends and family members, including Kate Dickens and Mary Dickens. The play was a benefit performance for the family of Augustus Le Plongeon, who had fallen on hard times, and was later performed at other venues, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, with notable actors such as Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. The play's success led to a revival of interest in the works of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, including The Moonstone and Great Expectations, which were published in All the Year Round and Household Words, and were influenced by the works of William Makepeace Thackeray and Elizabeth Gaskell.

Plot

The play tells the story of two explorers, Richard Wardour and Frank Aldersley, who are rivals for the affections of a woman named Clara Burnham, and who become embroiled in a tragic love triangle, reminiscent of the works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. The play's plot is set against the backdrop of the Franklin Expedition to the Arctic, and explores themes of love, sacrifice, and redemption, with characters influenced by the works of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. The play's climax features a dramatic scene in which Richard Wardour and Frank Aldersley are trapped in the ice, and must make a desperate bid for survival, in a scene reminiscent of the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

Characters

The play features a range of characters, including Richard Wardour, a brooding and intense explorer, and Frank Aldersley, a charming and affable young man, both of whom are rivals for the affections of Clara Burnham, a beautiful and strong-willed woman, who is reminiscent of the heroines of Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell. The play also features a range of supporting characters, including John Want, a gruff but lovable sailor, and Lucy Crayford, a sweet and gentle young woman, who are influenced by the works of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. The characters in the play are complex and multi-dimensional, with rich inner lives and motivations, and are performed by notable actors, including Henry Irving and Ellen Terry.

Adaptations

The Frozen Deep has been adapted into a number of different forms, including a novel and a film, with adaptations by notable authors and directors, including Daphne du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock. The play has also been performed in a number of different venues, including the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, with productions directed by notable directors, including Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn. The play's themes and characters have also been influential in the development of other works, including The Turn of the Screw and The Innocents, which were influenced by the works of Henry James and Edith Wharton.

Reception

The Frozen Deep was a critical and commercial success when it was first performed in 1857, with reviews in The Times and other newspapers praising the play's dramatic plot and strong characters, which were influenced by the works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. The play has since been recognized as a classic of Victorian literature, with its themes and characters continuing to influence writers and artists to this day, including Joseph Conrad and Virginia Woolf. The play's success also led to a revival of interest in the works of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, including The Woman in White and A Tale of Two Cities, which were published in All the Year Round and Household Words, and were influenced by the works of William Makepeace Thackeray and Elizabeth Gaskell.

Category:Plays by Wilkie Collins Category:Plays by Charles Dickens