Cyril Tourneur facts for kids

Cyril Tourneur (died February 28, 1626) was an English soldier, a diplomat, and a writer of plays. He is known for his play The Atheist's Tragedy, which was published in 1611. Another famous play, The Revenger's Tragedy (1607), was once thought to be written by him. However, most experts now believe it was written by Thomas Middleton.

Life of Cyril Tourneur

Cyril Tourneur was likely the son or grandson of Edward Tournor from Great Parndon, Essex. When he was young, he worked for important figures like Sir Francis Vere and Sir Edward Cecil.

His main period of writing was between 1600 and 1613. Later, in 1613 and 1614, he worked in military and diplomatic roles in the Low Countries (which is now Belgium and the Netherlands).

In 1625, Tourneur was chosen to be a secretary for the council of war. This council was preparing for an important trip called the Cádiz Expedition. Even though his appointment was later cancelled, Tourneur still sailed with Sir Edward Cecil to Cádiz.

The expedition did not go well. On the way back, Tourneur became sick. He was taken ashore at Kinsale in Ireland, where he sadly died on February 28, 1626.

What He Wrote

Tourneur's earliest known work is a difficult poem called The Transformed Metamorphosis, published in 1600. His last known work was an elegy (a poem of mourning) written in 1613. This elegy was about the death of Prince Henry, who was the son of King James I of England.

He also wrote other things that were not plays. These include a short book called Laugh and Lie Down (1605). He also added some parts to Sir Thomas Overbury's Book of Characters. Another poem he wrote was an epicede (a funeral song) for Sir Francis Vere. This poem showed Tourneur's idea of a perfect knight or a brave soldier.

His Main Play: The Atheist's Tragedy

Tourneur's most important play is The Atheist's Tragedy, or The Honest Man's Revenge. It was published in 1611. This play uses ideas and styles from older medieval morality plays. These plays often taught lessons about right and wrong. It also uses ideas from memento mori emblems, which are reminders that everyone will die.

The Atheist's Tragedy uses these ideas with Calvin's Protestant religious teachings. Tourneur's works show that he was a traditional Christian writer who wanted to teach moral lessons.

Today, The Atheist's Tragedy is not performed very often.

The Mystery of The Revenger's Tragedy

The Revenger's Tragedy was published without an author's name. In 1656, Edward Archer first said that Cyril Tourneur wrote it. Francis Kirkman also listed Tourneur as the author in 1661 and 1671.

Some critics believed Tourneur wrote it because the play was different from Thomas Middleton's other early works. They also found clues in the play's writing style and even in some unusual spellings that pointed to Tourneur.

However, most modern experts now agree that Middleton wrote The Revenger's Tragedy. They point to how similar its style is to Middleton's other plays and other facts from that time.

Works of Tourneur

• The Atheists Tragedie; or, The Honest Mans Revenge (1611)
• A Funeral Poeme Upon the Death of the Most Worthie and True Soldier, Sir Francis Vere, Knight.. (1609)
• A Griefe on the Death of Prince Henrie, Expressed in a Broken Elegie ..., printed with two other poems by John Webster and Thomas Haywood as Three Elegies on the most lamented Death of Prince Henry (1613)
• The Transformed Metamorphosis (1600), a difficult and unclear satire
• The Nobleman, a play that is now lost. It was listed in official records in 1612 as "A Tragecomedye called The Nobleman written by Cyrill Tourneur." The original handwritten copy was unfortunately destroyed by John Warburton's cook.
• Arraignment of London (1613), a lost play. A letter from Robert Daborne to Philip Henslowe from that time says that Daborne asked Cyril Tourneur to write one act of this play.

See also

In Spanish: Cyril Tourneur para niños