Endymion
Endymion (Endimion, The Man in the Moone) Author: John Lyly
First Performance: 1588, London
Published: 1591
Genre: Com. in 5 acts; prose
Setting: A fantasy court, in the mythical past
Cast: 16m, 7f, extras
Like his mythical namesake's love for the moon, Endymion secretly loves the chaste and distant Cynthia. His friend Eumenides loves Semele, Cynthia's lady-in-waiting, whose wit and sarcasm cause her to be forced to be silent for a year. Tellus, a lady at the court, is so jealous of Endymion's love for Cynthia that she arranges for a witch to cast a spell on Endymion and make him sleep for 20 years. Eumenides is granted one wish at a magic well, and, after much soul-searching, decides in favour of his suffering friend rather than seeking the fulfilment of his love for Semele. Endymion is released from his spell...
[The entire page is 375 words long]
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