“Sæxisce men beoð hæðene hundes:” The (Anglo-)Saxons in Britain in Dryden and Purcell’s King Arthur between Tradition and Contemporary Representations

The semi-opera King Arthur by Henry Purcell is based on a text by John Dryden. The imagined conflict between the Britons and the Saxons reflects the political complexity of the English kingdom at the end of the 17th century. In Dryden's thought, the Saxons represent the Germanic barbarians who eventually become the Anglo-Saxons, envisioning a union between the two peoples on the island. Their representation is informed by historical and historiographical sources available to Dryden and incorporates cultural stereotypes on Teutons that have also appeared in significant semi-opera productions in recent years.