Seeking the sacred: Edward Elgar's 'Caractacus' and surpassing the Roman empire
Journal: Dublin City University Open Access Institutional Repository (Dublin City University)
Year: 2016

This article explores Edward Elgar's attempts to ascribe Christian traits to the pagan king, Caractacus, in the cantata 'Caractacus' (1898), in an attempt to portray the late-Victorian British Empire as superior to the ancient Roman Empire.