Vera, Or, the Nihilists: A Drama in a Prologue and Four Acts by Oscar WildeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's a tragedy that one of the best Wildean Tragedy, 'Vera, or the Nihilists', isn't a we known play at all! We go about praising other plays by him and know that he can write comedies like 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and social satires like'A Woman of No Importance' but Wilde is the last person a reader can associate with tragedies, which is a shame indeed because 'Vera, or the Nihilists' happens to be one of the finest tragedies that I have ever come across. In fact, in my opinion, it is even better than Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan' because unlike Joan, Vera's sense of patriotism is not exactly guided by the Divine Word. It is much more practical and has a clear motive.
The only place where I'd dock off stars from this play is that it is not entirely faithful to history and historical facts. In fact, I recommend you do some digging on Czar Alexander II first. Or maybe after because it really spoils the play's romance!
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