SOURCE: Barbour, Frances. “The Unconventional Heroic Plays of Nathaniel Lee.” Studies in English, no. 4026 (July 1940): 109-16.

In the following essay, Barbour argues that the vast majority of Lee's plays do not fit into the usual mold of Restoration-era heroic drama, since Lee's work was nearly always critical of the divine right of kings.

It is common knowledge that the heroic drama of the Restoration was a vehicle for propagating the theory of the divine right of kings. William Davenant, who was instrumental in the reopening of the theatres in 1660, continued in the policy of currying favor with the ruling powers by a glorification of the theory of divine right. The great Dryden followed his example, and divine right became a favorite theme of the dramatic poets. That the heroic drama prior to 1679 became also the vehicle for the political doctrine of the opposition, has not been suggested. Nathaniel...