Semiramis, and Other Plays

About this book

Olive Tilford Dargan’s Semiramis, and Other Plays is a dramatic work that opens in a bustling tent on the plain before Nineveh. The stage directions establish a cramped, multi‑entrance setting where guards, servants, and the titular heroine move amid hanging armor, curtains, and the sounds of distant battle. The first lines thrust the audience into a tense night watch: Sola, half‑asleep, urges the weary Semiramis to stay awake, while guards Armin and Haddo scramble to rouse her for an imminent arrival. Within moments, Semiramis herself bursts onto the scene, exchanging rapid, lyrical dialogue with her brother Artavan, recounting past exploits, fearing her father’s strange behavior, and preparing to don armor for war. The opening scene is a whirlwind of urgency, familial loyalty, and the looming clash of armies, setting a tone of high‑stakes conflict and mythic ambition.

The language is richly poetic, echoing the elevated diction of 19th‑century stagecraft. Dargan blends classical allusion with a melodramatic rhythm, employing archaic speech patterns (“’Tis a horseman!”) and vivid imagery that recall the grand historical dramas of her era. Readers who enjoy dense, Shakespeare‑like verse, intricate character entanglements, and the mythic grandeur of ancient Near Eastern settings will find this play rewarding. It appeals especially to those fascinated by strong female protagonists navigating war, honor, and divine expectation within a stylized, period‑specific theatrical framework.