John Phillip (poet) facts for kids

John Phillip was an English writer who lived during the Elizabethan era. This was a time when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England (from 1558 to 1603). Phillip was active around the year 1561. He wrote plays and poems.

His Most Famous Play

John Phillip is best known for his play called The Commodye of Pacient and Meeke Grissill. It is also known as The Play of Patient Grisell. This play was likely written in the late 1550s.

First Performance

The play might have been performed for the first time in August 1559. It was possibly put on by a group of child actors. This special show was for Queen Elizabeth I herself. It took place at Nonsuch Palace in Surrey, a grand royal home.

The Story of Griselda

The story of Patient Griselda comes from very old tales. It is found in Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, a famous Italian writer. The same story also appears in Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, a well-known English poet.

The play tells the story of Griselda. She is a very patient woman. She shows strong loyalty to her husband. This is true even when he gives her very tough challenges to test her devotion.

Publishing the Play

The play was officially recorded, like getting a copyright today. This happened with the Stationers' Company. It was registered in July 1565 and again in July 1568.

Other Writings

John Phillip's name sometimes appears with different spellings. You might see it as John Phillipp, John Philip, or John Phillips. These different spellings are found in old books, like the quarto (a type of old book format) of The Play of Patient Grisell.

It is believed that this same John Phillip also wrote other types of works. Between 1566 and 1591, he may have written:

• Ballads: These were often songs that told a story.
• Tracts: These were short written pieces, often about a specific topic.
• Elegies: These were poems, usually sad ones, written to remember someone who had died.

Music Inspired by His Work

One part of The Play of Patient Grisell became very famous. It is a lullaby (a soft song to help a baby sleep) called "Be still, my sweet sweeting." This lullaby has been set to music by several well-known composers:

• Peter Warlock created a piece called "Cradle Song" in 1927.
• Benjamin Britten included "The Nurse's Song" in his collection of songs, A Charm of Lullabies, in 1947.
• Jack Gibbons composed his "Cradle Song," Op. 64, in 2005.