Playwright and author Nicholas Rowe was born - 1674

Author and playwright Nicholas Rowe was born on June 20, 1674 in Little Barford, Bedfordshire, England. He was an English writer who was the first to attempt a critical edition of the works of William Shakespeare. Rowe succeeded Nahum Tate as Poet Laureate in 1715 and was also the foremost 18th-century English tragic dramatist, doing much to assist the rise of the domestic tragedy. His early plays such as The Ambitious Step-Mother (1700) and Tamerlane (1702) are reminiscent of John Dryden’s heroic drama in their pomp and bluster but contain elements presaging the spirit of sentiment that characterizes The Fair Penitent (1703) and later works. Rowe composed The Tragedy of Jane Shore (1714) in imitation of Shakespeare’s style, as he did The Tragedy of the Lady Jane Grey (1715). His only comedy, The Biter (1704), was a failure. In The Works of Mr. William Shakespeare; Revis’d and Corrected, Rowe essentially followed the fourth folio edition of 1685, although he claimed to have arrived at the text by comparing several editions. He did, however, restore some passages in Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, and King Lear from early texts. He did add biographical information on the life of Shakespeare that, although composed for the most part of inaccurate information, remained the basis for all Shakespeare biographies until the early 19th century. He died on December 6, 1718 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Literary Legends of the British Isles. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

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Playwright Christopher Marlowe is killed - 1593

On May 30, 1593, English playwright Christopher Marlowe is killed in a brawl over a bar tab. Marlowe, born two months before William Shakespeare, was the son of a Canterbury shoemaker. A bright student, he won scholarships to prestigious schools and earned his B.A. from Cambridge in 1584. He was nearly denied his master's degree in 1587, until advisers to Queen Elizabeth intervened, recommending he receive the degree, referring obliquely to his services for the state. Marlowe's activities as a spy for Queen Elizabeth were later documented by historians. While still in school, Marlowe wrote his play Tamburlaine the Great, about a 14th century shepherd who became an emperor. The blank verse drama caught on with the public, and Marlowe wrote five more plays before his death in 1593, including The Jew of Malta and Dr. Faustus. He also published a translation of Ovid's Elegies. In May of 1593, Marlowe's former roommate, playwright Thomas Kyd, was arrested and tortured for treason. He told authorities that "heretical" papers found in his room belonged to Marlowe, who was subsequently arrested. While out on bail, Marlowe became involved in a fight over a tavern bill and was stabbed to death.

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Great Britain’s Literary Legends. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

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Arrest warrant is issued for playwright Christopher Marlowe - 1593

On May 18, 1593, an arrest warrant was issued for playwright Christopher Marlowe, after fellow writer Thomas Kyd accused him of heresy. Fellow playwright Thomas Kyd, who wrote Spanish Tragedie (also called Hieronomo) was influential in the development of the revenge tragedy. Kyd had been arrested on May 15, 1593, and tortured on suspicion of treason. Told that heretical documents had been found in his room, Kyd wrote a letter saying that the documents belonged to Christopher Marlowe, with whom he had shared rooms previously. An arrest warrant was issued, and Marlowe was arrested on May 20th. Marlowe was bailed out of jail but was killed in a bar brawl May 30th. Though little is known about Kyd's childhood, scholars believe he was educated at the Merchant Taylor's School in London and raised to be a scrivener, a professional trained to draw up contracts and other business documents. Of his early work, the Spanish Tragedie (1592) brought him the most recognition. Some scholars believe it served as a model for Shakespeare's Hamlet. Kyd died penniless on August 15, 1594.

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Great Britain’s Literary Legends. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Great-Britains-Literary-Legends-Writers/dp/0764344382/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368893425&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

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William Shakespeare was baptized - 1564

English playwright and poet William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564. The actual date of his birth is not known. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon.” His extant works, including some collaboration; they consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. 

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and theater owner. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died on April 23, 1616. 

Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters since his death. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, which are considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare, published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognized as Shakespeare's. It was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as "not of an age, but for all time." 

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshiped Shakespeare with a reverence. In the 20th century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Great Britain’s Literary Legends. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Great-Britains-Literary-Legends-Writers/dp/0764344382/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366995131&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

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English Playwright Aaron Hill is Born - 1685

English dramatist and poet Aaron Hill was born on February 10, 1685 in Wiltshire, England. He was the son of a country gentleman and was educated at Westminster School,, and afterwards travelled in the East. He was the author of 17 plays, some of them, such as his versions of Voltaire’s Zaire and Merope, being adaptations. He also wrote poetry, which is of variable quality. Having written some satiric lines on Alexander Pope, he received in return a mention in The Dunciad, which led to a controversy between the two writers. Afterwards reconciliation took place. He was a friend and correspondent of Samuel Richardson, whose Pamela he highly praised. In addition to his literary pursuits Hill was involved in many commercial schemes, usually unsuccessful. Hill was the manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane when he was 24 years old, and before being summarily fired for reasons unknown, he staged the premier of George Frideric Handel’s Rinaldo, the first Italian opera designed for a London audience. He died on February 8, 1750 and a posthumous collection of his essays, letters and poems was published in 1753. His Dramatic Works were published in 1760.

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Great Britain’s Literary Legends. The book can be pre-ordered from Amazon through the following links:

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