Artaxerxes I of Persia, the son of Xerxes I, has been the object of a large number of literary and dramatic works over the years.

His name is written Artaxerxes in English and Dutch, Artaxerce in French and Artaserse in Italian.

Among the dramatic works about Artaxerxes are:

Artaxerce by Claude Boyer

Artaxerce is a French tragedy in 5 acts by Claude Boyer (1618-1698)[1]

Published with a commentary by the author in 1683.

Artaserse by Pietro Metastasio and Leonardo Vinci

Artaserse is an Italian opera by Pietro Metastasio and Leonardo Vinci, first performed in 1730.

Artaxerce by Antoine Marin Lemierre

Artaxerce is a tragedy by Antoine Marin Lemierre (1733–1793)[2].

The original text

Modelled on the opera Artaserse (1730) by Pietro Metastasio and Leonardo Vinci. It was first produced in Paris in 1766. Published under the name Antoine-Marin Le Mierre, in Paris by Valat-la-Chapelle, 1773.

Translatiuons and adaptations

Translated into Dutch as Artaxerxes, of De Bezoedelde Onschuld ("Artaxerxes, or the sullied innocence") by Nicolaas Willem Op den Hooff and published in Amsterdam in 1767 by Izaak Duim. (It appears that there are also versions of Duim's publication without an atttribution, and the text is then attributed to Antoine Marin Lemierre (1733–1793)[3] by the particular library holding the text.)

Performance history in South Africa

Possibly the text performed in South Africa as Artaxerxes, of De Vader Rechter over zijn Zoon ("Artaxerxes, or the father judge of the son").

Artaxerce by Etienne-Joseph-Bernard Delrieu

Artaxerce tragédie en V actes Etienne-Joseph-Bernard Delrieu, (ca. 1760-1836). Représentée, pour la première fois, à Paris, sur le Théâtre français, par les comédiens ordinaires de S. M. l'empereur et roi, le 30 avril 1808, et à St.-Cloud, devant Leurs Majestés impériales et royales, le 18 août de la même année. Published Paris : chez Giguet et Michaud, 1808.