George Wilkins facts for kids
George Wilkins (died 1618) was an English dramatist (a writer of plays) and pamphleteer (someone who wrote small books or essays). He is most known for possibly working with William Shakespeare on the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Wilkins was also an inn-keeper, running a place where travelers could stay.
Life and Connections
George Wilkins lived in England during a time when theater was very popular. He was connected to the King's Men, which was a famous acting group that William Shakespeare was part of. Wilkins and Shakespeare knew each other. For example, in 1612, they both gave statements in a court case called Bellott v Mountjoy. In his statement, Wilkins said he was a "victualler," which means he ran an inn or provided food and drink.
His Written Works
Wilkins started his writing career around 1606. One of his first known works was a pamphlet called Three Miseries of Barbary. A pamphlet is like a small book or a long essay.
In 1607, he worked with other writers, William Rowley and John Day, on a play called The Travels of the Three English Brothers. This play was based on the true adventures of the Sherley brothers, who traveled to faraway lands.
That same year, Wilkins wrote his own play, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage. This play was inspired by a real-life story about a man named Walter Calverley. Wilkins changed the man's name in the play to "Scarborough." The play, at least the version printed in 1607, had a happy ending, even though the real story was quite sad.
Working on Pericles
Many experts believe that George Wilkins helped write Shakespeare's play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. This play is not found in Shakespeare's main collection of plays, the First Folio, but it was published separately.
It's not fully clear how they worked together. Maybe they wrote it together from the start, or perhaps Wilkins wrote an early version and Shakespeare changed it, or vice versa. What we do know is that in 1608, Wilkins published a story called The Painful Adventures of Pericles, Prynce of Tyre. This story was described as "the true history of Pericles as it was lately presented by ... John Gower" (who is a narrator in the play). This story follows the play very closely.
Some editors of Shakespeare's works believe Wilkins was a co-author of Pericles. They think Wilkins wrote most of the first two acts (parts) of the play, and Shakespeare wrote the last three acts.
