Cyrus the Great is a 1695 tragedy by the British writer John Banks.
It was his final work, although his earlier The Island Queens was staged several years later.
[1] John Downes described it as one of the "principal new plays" of the decade, although it did not enjoy many performances on stage.
[2] The original cast included Thomas Smith as Cyaxeres, Edward Kynaston as Hystaspes, John Bowman as Craesus, John Thurmond as Artabasus, Elizabeth Barry as Panthea and Anne Bracegirdle as Lausaria.
The play used the innovation of casting Barry as the romantic object of Cyrus' love, while Bracegirdle is besotted with him and driven to distraction by his rejection.