Abstract:
Walter Scott (1771 – 1832) was one of the most highly regarded authors of his day. During his lifetime, his novels reached unprecedented levels of popularity; and they continued to be widely read through to the twentieth century. Seeking to capitalise on Scott’s reputation, playwrights of the Georgian and Victorian eras frequently attempted to adapt his novels for the theatre. Between 1819 and 1890, several dramatisations of The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) appeared on the British stage: Thomas Dibdin’s The Bride of Lammermuir: or, The Spectre of the Fountain (1819); John William Calcraft’s The Bride of Lammermoor (1822); John Palgrave Simpson’s Master of Ravenswood (1865); and Herman Merivale’s Ravenswood (1890). This thesis analyses each of these four plays in turn, discussing significant changes to plot and characterisation. The theatre fulfilled a meaningful role in nineteenth-century Britain, as it simultaneously reflected and shaped the ideologies of its audience. Therefore, for each play, this study also takes into account contemporary technological, political, and economic concerns, and considers how they might have influenced the adaptation processes.
