"The true measure of life is not length, but honesty"
Introduction
If we talk about william shakespeare's predecessors, we have to mention university Wits. The University Wits belongs late 16th-century English playwrights and pamphleteers. The University Wits is a phrase used to name a group of young dramatists English playwrights and pamphleteers. who were educated at the Oxford or Cambridge Universities and who became popular secular writers. Who were the talented people. There were group of seven members. This group consists of Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe, John Lyly, Thomas Lodge, George Peele and Thomas Kyd. Prominent members of this group were Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, and Thomas Nashe from Cambridge, and John Lyly, Thomas Lodge, and George Peele from Oxford. Thomas Kyd is not belong to any university. The term "University Wits" was not used in their lifetime, but was coined by George Saintsbury, a 19th-century journalist and author. because they were the witty students of Cambridge or Oxford. University Wits were the first to associate English drama permanently with literature.
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe and William shakespeare were born in the same year 1564. Marlowe was born in Kent, England in 1564 and died in Kent, England in 1593. He was poet, translator, playwright. Marlowe is famous for his quality of Didacticism in his tragic plays. he greatly influenced shakespeare. Marlowe was a real source for Shakespeare for writing great plays in blank verse. He was known for the use of black verse. His plays are distinguished by their overreaching protagonists. He wrote only tragedies. He was father of English dramatic poetry. He was true founder of English drama. Ben Jonson called his black verse as Marlowe's mighty line. Christopher Marlowe was most shining star among the university wits. He wrote the first English history play. Dido, Queen of Carthage in 1585, Collaboration with Thomas Nashe. Shakespeare was much influenced by Marlowe in his work. Shakespeare used qualities of Marlowe in his four famous tragic plays Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. The Jew of Malta ( not written in black verse ) , inspired for shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Edward II, it's historic play, inspired for shakespeare's Richard II. His plays are Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the great 1 and Part 2 in 1587, The Massacre at Paris.
Thomas Kyd
Kyd was born in 1558 in London and died in 1594, he was one of the most important dramatists among the pre shakespeareans and he was the found of romantic tragedy. Ben Jonson called him sporting Kyd. He was a pioneer of melodrama. He wrote the famous play Spanish tragedy in 1585 and also called revenge play or tragedy by Thomas Kyd, Copied by shakespeare and Marlowe. His horrific plot, murder, frenzy and sudden death gave his play a great popularity. Kyd wrote a play known simply as the Ur-Hamlet, which was the immediate source for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. His other plays are Cornelia in 1594, soliman perseda, the murder of John brewen in 1592, , the householder's philosophy in 1588, Edward 3.
Thomas Nashe
Nashe is one of the shakespeare's predecessors. He was born in 1567 and died in 1601. He was an elizabethan playwright, a poet, a satirist, traveler and a significant pamphleteer. Nash was the youngest of the University wits. He is known for his novel. Nashe may also have contributed to Henry 6, Part 1, the play later published under Shakespeare's name as the first part of the Henry 6 trilogy. He was famous for his summer's last will and testament, a satirical masque. His play is the unfortunate traveller in 1594, Also called the life of jack wilton, a prose tale, is important in the development of novel. the play The Isle of Dogs, collaboration with Ben Jonson.
John Lyly
He was born in Kent England in 1554 and died in London in1606. He was an English writer, poet, courtier, dramatist, and a politician. He himself was a courtier and wrote for countries. He is mainly famous for the euphues the anatomy of wit in 1578. The euphues and his England in 1580. Euphues is a Greek ward, its mean graceful, witty. He is now known as having developed the pernicious literary style called euphuism or euphemism, is one of the most influential of the early dramatists, After his success with euphues. his court comedies are remarkable for their witty dialogue. He introduces the elements of romanticism in the Elizabethan drama. most of his play were pastoral Comedies and Shakespeare is presumed to have used Lyly’s style of dialogue in his comedy plays namely Much Ado about Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well. His other plays are Gallathea is a major source for shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love's Metamorphosis in 1601, is a large influence on shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. His plays are the woman in the moon in 1597, alexander, diogenes in 1584 and compaspe, its first romantic play in elizabethan age.
George Peele
He was born in 1556 and died in 1596. He was poet, dramatist and English translator. He experimented different types of art like melodrama, history, tragedy and any other types of folk play. He wrote romantic comedy, chronicle play, Allegory and satire. His plays are arraignment of Paris in 1584, it's a pastoral comedy and David and bathsabe in 1599 its a love story, The Troublesome Reign of John And the important work is the old wives's tale in 1595, its a political satire. And the famous chronicle of King Edward 1 in 1593, its a chronicle history is an advance on the old chronicle plays and marks a step toward the shakespeare historical drama, source for Shakespeare's King John and collaboration with William Shakespeare on the play Titus Andronicus.
Robert Greene
He was born in 1558 and died in 1592 in London. He was Writer, dramatist, playwright. He is better known for his autobiographical phrase. He is best known for his connection with the shakespeare. He wrote in his pamphlet " Greene's Groats-Worth of Witte, bought with a million of Repentance ", called shakespeare as " an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide". ( This line taken "A play O Tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide" from Henry 6 by shakespeare ) Greene referred to the young Shakespeare as an ‘upstart crow’. It's first critic of the shakespeare. ( An upstart is characteristic of someone, who has risen suddenly in rank or importance, socially Or economically but, lacks social skills appropriate for his new position. A Crow is scavenger who steals from others.) He wrote pastoral and romantic comedies. His best play is friar bacon and friar bungay in 1589 it is a comedy work , an elizabethan era stage play and a comedy it has received more critical attention than any other his dramas. His other plays are A looking glass for London and England, Collaboration with Thomas Lodge, king of aragon, Orlando furioso, alphonsys. Greene wrote prose pastorals in the manner of Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia. The best of his pastorals is Pandosto (1588), the direct source of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
Thomas Lodge
He was born in London in 1558 and died in 1625. He was poet and dramatist. A Looking Glass for London and England, Collaboration with Robert Greene. Rosalynde was source for shakespeare's as you like it. scillaes metamorphosis, influence for shakespeare's Venus and Adonis. His major plays are The Two Lovers The Goodly History of Lady Lucrece and her Lover Eurialus, A Margarite of America, On Benefits.
Conclusion
Each of these playwrights added or emphasized some essential element in the drama, which appeared later in the work of shakespeare. Thus we can agree that, University wits, the notable group of pioneer English dramatists.
Comments
Post a Comment