George Gascoigne facts for kids
George Gascoigne (born around 1535, died 7 October 1577) was an English poet and soldier. He also tried to work for the queen at court, but didn't always succeed. He is considered a very important poet from the early Elizabethan era. This was the time when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England. Gascoigne was the first poet to really praise Queen Elizabeth. He helped create the idea of her as a pure queen who was "married" to her kingdom and its people.
Some of his most famous works include:
- A Discourse of the Adventures of Master FJ (1573): This was one of the first stories written in English prose. It was about secrets and events at court.
- The Supposes (performed in 1566, printed in 1573): This was an early translation of a play by Ariosto. It was also the first comedy written in English prose. Shakespeare even used it as a source for his play The Taming of the Shrew.
- "Gascoignes wodmanship" (1573): A popular short poem.
- "Certayne Notes of Instruction concerning the making of verse or ryme in English" (1575): This was the first essay ever written about how to write English poetry.
Contents
Early Life and Education
George Gascoigne was the oldest son of Sir John Gascoigne. His family lived in Cardington, Bedfordshire. George went to Trinity College, Cambridge for his education. After university, he likely joined the Middle Temple, which was a place where lawyers trained. He became a member of Gray's Inn in 1555.
George faced some difficulties and was sometimes in debt. His father was unhappy with his choices. George himself said he had to sell his family's property to pay off debts he made while at court. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford in 1557–1558 and again in 1558–1559. However, when he tried to be elected in 1572, he was refused. People said he was someone who caused trouble and had financial issues.
His poems were not published until 1572. But they might have been shared as handwritten copies before that time. He said his friends at Gray's Inn asked him to write poems based on Latin topics. Two of his plays were also performed there. He improved his financial situation by marrying a rich widow named William Breton's wife. This made him the stepfather of the poet, Nicholas Breton.
Plays and Writings
In 1566, Gascoigne translated two plays that were performed at Gray's Inn. This was a very important place for law students in London during the Renaissance.
- Supposes: This was a comedy written in prose. It was based on Ariosto's Suppositi.
- Jocasta: This was a tragedy written in blank verse (poetry without rhyme). It is thought to have come from Euripides's Phoenissae. However, it seems to be a direct translation of an Italian play by Lodovico Dolce called Giocasta.
A Hundreth Sundry Flowres and Posies of Gascoigne
Gascoigne's most famous and debated work was first published in 1573. It was called A Hundreth Sundry Flowres bound up in one small Poesie. The book was printed by Richarde Smith in London. It was presented as a collection of poems by various court poets. Gascoigne and two other editors, known only by their initials "H.W." and "G.T.", supposedly gathered and edited them. The book hinted at courtly secrets and used initials instead of real names.
Some people found the book upsetting. It was even "seized by Her Majesty's High Commissioners," meaning officials took it away. Gascoigne republished the book two years later with some changes. The new title was The Posies of George Gascoigne, Esquire. This new edition included three new letters from Gascoigne. In these letters, he apologized for any offense the first edition had caused. However, this effort did not work. The new book was also found offensive and was taken away.
His Time as a Soldier
In 1572, Gascoigne sailed to the Low Countries (modern-day Netherlands and Belgium) as a soldier. His ship was blown off course by bad weather to Brielle. Luckily for him, this town had just been taken by the Dutch. He became a captain and fought in battles for the next two years. This included the Middelburg siege. During this time, he really disliked the Dutch. But he greatly admired William of Orange, a Dutch leader. William helped him in a disagreement with his commander. He also protected Gascoigne when people suspected him because of his visits to a friend in the Hague.
Gascoigne was captured after English troops left Valkenburg during the Siege of Leiden. He was sent back to England in the autumn of 1574. He wrote about his adventures in a story called The Fruites of Warres. This was printed in the 1575 edition of his works. He dedicated it to Lord Grey de Wilton.
In 1575, Gascoigne helped create the masques (special court performances) for the queen's visit to the Earl of Leicester at Kenilworth Castle. These were published the next year as The Princely Pleasures at the Courte at Kenelworth. At Woodstock in 1575, he gave a speech to Queen Elizabeth. He was also there for a reading of Pleasant Tale of Hemetes the Hermit. This was a short romance story likely written by the queen's host, Sir Henry Lee.
At the queen's yearly gift exchange with her court, Gascoigne gave her a handwritten copy of Hemetes. He had translated it into Latin, Italian, and French. The picture at the front of this book shows the Queen giving a reward to the kneeling poet. Its motto, "Tam Marti, quam Mercurio," meant he would serve her as a soldier, a scholar-poet, or both. He also translated Jacques du Fouilloux's La Venerie (1561) into English. It was called The Noble Arte of Venerie or Hunting (1575).
Later Works and Legacy
Most of Gascoigne's works were published in the last years of his life. This was after he returned from the wars. He died in Stamford on 7 October 1577. He was buried on 13 October in the graveyard of St Mary's Church, Stamford.
Gascoigne explained his ideas about writing poetry in a short essay. It was called "Certayne Notes of Instruction concerning the making of verse or ryme in English." This essay was included in his book Posies (1575). He looked up to Geoffrey Chaucer as his teacher. Gascoigne's poems were known for being smoother and sweeter than those of earlier poets like Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and Thomas Wyatt.
See also
In Spanish: George Gascoigne para niños
- Canons of Elizabethan poetry
- Good Morrowe, poem by Gascoigne set to music by Sir Edward Elgar, 1929
- Gillian Austen, George Gascoigne [Studies in Renaissance Literature, 24], D.S. Brewer, 2008
- G.W. Pigman, George Gascoigne, A Hundredth Sundrie Flowres 1573, Oxford, 2000
- Ronald Binns, Gascoigne: The Life of a Tudor Poet, York: Zoilus Press, 2021 ISBN: 9781999735944
