The Gamester

In The Gamester, prose domestic tragedy again prevails. Moore dramatises a new commandment—“Thou shalt not gamble.” To the playful hits of Pope and the more vigorous attacks of Addison upon gambling, Moore gave tragic intensity. The very singleness of his purpose gives unity to his drama. Without remarkable dramatic skill, he conceived his framework on large lines, and, in many ways, executed it impressively. He stoops, at times, to melodrama, in the use of surprise.