On this day...

British playwright Ben Jonson was indicted for manslaughter in 1598. During a duel on Hogsden Fields, Jonson killed fellow actor Gabriel Spenser and was subsequently incarcerated in Newgate Prison for a short while. It was the wit and intelligence shown so frequently throughout his works, that ensured Jonson managed to escape punishment.

Using a loophole-ridden Tudor law, Jonson was able to claim 'benefit of the clergy', by reciting Psalm 51, commonly known as the neck-verse, and thus was able to stand trial in the far more lenient ecclesiastical courts. In order to make sure that Jonson was not able to claim such rights for a second time, his left thumb was branded.

London calling...

 

London has always played its part in literature, be it a muse or home to the writer. Due to its thriving Elizabethan theatre scene, both William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson called London their home and perhaps used elements of their surroundings to inspire some of their best known works. Yet it is surely for the Victorian Era that London is best remembered; sentimentalised and degraded often in the same breath. From Dickens, truly synonymous with the city, to Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' and Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', London has endured many and varied representations, which can only add to its unique character. A quiz about London and its literary connotations can be found here

On this day...

Philip Henslowe, Elizabethan theatre entrepreneur, died in 1616 at the age of 66, only three months before the greatest theatrical name of the era, William Shakespeare. A shrewd businessman from the start, Henslowe quickly developed interests in areas such as dyeing, pawn-broking, money lending and property. Yet he is best known for his work in the theatre industry, most details of which have only been uncovered thanks to his diary, which contains records of payments to writers, box office takings and expensive costume purchases. After a infamous split with James Burbage, Henslowe became the partner of 'The Admiral's Men' and used his own venues, The Rose and The Fortune Theatre, for their performances. Whereas the diary denotes numerous plays by Shakespearian titles, such as 'Hamlet', 'Henry V' and 'Troilus and Cressida', no record of payment is made to Shakespeare. Instead payments were listed for 27 Elizabethan playwrights, including the names Ben Johnson, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton and John Webster. 

On this day...

English playwright and poet Thomas Shadwell died in 1692, at the age of 50. In relative terms a literary success, Shadwell was awarded the title of Poet Laureate in 1689, succeeding contemporary John Dryden. Yet it is for his relationship with Dryden, mainly conveyed through text, that he is best remembered; the two swapping some three satirical pieces each, about the other. It was Dryden who came out on top; the protagonist of his work 'Mac Flecknoe', the King of Dullness, giving his crown to Shadwell, who is described as 'confirm'd in full stupidity'. While many of their debates took to a political or religious line, both diametrically opposed on those issues, the pair were also known to contemplate more intellectual ideas, such as whether Ben Jonson or Shakespeare were a better playwright. The best works of the man who 'enjoyed a popularity in his own day which is not easily explicable in ours', are play 'Epsom Wells', and poem 'Dear Pretty Youth'.

On this day...

Queen Mary I, died in 1558; leading to the ascension of Queen Elizabeth I to the throne, and sparking of one of the greatest periods of literature in history. The Elizabethan era is, of couse, best known for dramatist and poet William Shakespeare. 25 of his 37 plays were purportedly performed during Elizabeth's reign, and she herself was known to be an admirer; the Lord Chamberlain's Men said to have performed over thirty-two times at court. Yet Shakespeare was not the only influential playwright of the era; contempories Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe are equally renowned, the latter possibly even more so in his lifetime. Elizabethan literature also widely contributed to the field of poetry, not least with the reinvention of the sonnet by Shakespeare, but also through the works of Philip Sidney and the first writings of John Donne; Donne was voted this year, the nation's second favourite poet. Other figures of the era include; Thomas Kyd, John Webster and Thomas Middleton. Much of this prolific writing continued into the Jacobean period.

On this day...

English dramatist, Thomas Kyd, was baptised in 1558; the first record available of his birth. Kyd is best known for his authorship of 'The Spainish Tragedie'; yet, despite being recognised in his own time, this was only attributed to him in 1773. This led to further scholarly study into his works; even producing a theory that he wrote a 'Hamlet' which pre-dated Shakespeare's. Kyd's respect spread from his pan-European audiences to his contempories, Ben Jonson evelvating him to the same level as Christopher Marlowe; with whom he shared lodgings. He died in 1594, recognised as a key figure in the development of Elizabethan drama and plot. 8 years after his death, Jonson is noted as being payed by Philip Henslowe for additions to the play.