George Henry Boker

“ The World a Mask, a prose comedy, with occasional passages in blank verse, was played for eight nights at the Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, beginning April 21, 1851. The scene is laid in London in 1851 and the plot is one of intrigue with an accompaniment of social satire. It was never printed and exists to-day in manuscript. It is not one of Boker's strong plays.
The Widow's Marriage, written in 1852, was accepted by Marshall, the manager of the Walnut Street Theatre, but as he was unable to find a proper actress to take the leading part of "Lady Goldstraw," the play was not acted. ”

“ They are, however, entirely original in expression and contain some of the best verse that Boker wrote.
Boker's public career was a distinguished one. From 1871 to 1875 he was Minister to Turkey and from 1875 to 1878 Minister to Russia. He took an active part on the Union side during the war, his poetry, such as "The Black Regiment" and the "Dirge for a Soldier" being representative. He died in Philadelphia, January 2, 1890. ”

“ This has been due partly to the lofty conception of Lanciotto's character, the sympathetic interpretation of the medieval woman in Francesca, and the noble expression in a blank verse that has rarely been excelled in English. But in addition to these literary qualities, the strength of Francesca da Rimini lies in its qualities as an acting play. It has never been put on the stage as it is printed. The printed version represents Boker's best judgment of the form in which it should be read, but in 1853 an acting version was prepared by Boker, and in 1882 another version was made by Mr. ”