Nathan Field facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathan Field
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Portrait of Nathan Field, unknown artist, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, c. 1615.
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| Born | 17 October 1587 |
| Died | 1620 (aged 32–33) |
| Occupation | English dramatist, actor |
Nathan Field (born October 17, 1587 – died 1620) was a famous English actor and dramatist (playwright). He lived during the time of William Shakespeare and was known for his talent on stage.
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Nathan Field's Early Life
Nathan Field's father, John Field, was a Puritan preacher. Puritans were a group of Christians who had very strict beliefs. Nathan's father did not approve of public entertainment like plays. Nathan also had a brother, Theophilus Field, who later became a Bishop of Llandaff (a high-ranking church leader).
Nathan did not plan to become an actor at first. He was a student at St. Paul's School. But before the year 1600, he was noticed by Nathaniel Giles. Giles was in charge of the Queen's choir and managed a new group of young actors called "boy players." This group performed at the Blackfriars Theatre. Nathan joined them and stayed in the theater world for the rest of his life. He later started writing plays too.
Nathan Field's Acting Career
Nathan Field began his acting career as a "boy player" with a group called the Children of the Queen's Revels. This company performed new and exciting plays at the Blackfriars Theatre in the early 1600s.
Famous Plays and Roles
Field acted in several plays by well-known writers. He performed in Cynthia's Revels (1600) and The Poetaster (1601) by Ben Jonson. He was also linked to George Chapman's play Bussy D'Ambois.
Later, he acted in Jonson's Epicoene. He might have also played the character Humphrey in The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont. During these years, Nathan Field also wrote short poems praising plays like Jonson's Volpone and Catiline, and John Fletcher's The Faithful Shepherdess.
Moving to New Companies
Nathan Field stayed with the children's acting company until 1613, when he was 26 years old. He was one of the few original boy actors who remained with the Blackfriars troupe. During this time, he performed in plays like Beaumont and Fletcher's The Coxcomb. He also started writing his own plays, including A Woman is a Weathercock and The Honest Man's Fortune.
In 1613, his company joined with another group called the Lady Elizabeth's Men. They performed at the Swan Theatre and Hope Theatre. Field acted in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton and Jonson's Bartholomew Fair. He even received payment for his company after a performance of Bartholomew Fair for the royal court.
Joining the King's Men
By late 1616, Nathan Field joined the most famous acting company of the time, the King's Men. This was the same company that William Shakespeare belonged to.
With the King's Men, Field likely played important roles like Voltore in Jonson's Volpone and Face in The Alchemist. He also acted in many of Fletcher's plays and some of Shakespeare's. He probably performed in his own play, Amends for Ladies, and in The Fatal Dowry, which he wrote with Philip Massinger.
Nathan Field passed away sometime between May 1619 and August 1620.
His Legacy
Many experts believe that Nathan Field also helped write other plays from his time. These include Four Plays in One, The Honest Man's Fortune, The Queen of Corinth and The Knight of Malta. These plays are often linked to John Fletcher and his writing partners.
A portrait believed to be of Nathan Field can be seen at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. It shows him looking thoughtful, with his hand on his heart. Some people think this painting might be one of the first pictures of an actor shown "in character" (acting a role). The artist who painted it is unknown.
Nathan Field's Plays
Nathan Field wrote plays by himself and also worked with other famous playwrights.
Plays Written Alone
- A Woman Is a Weathercock, a comedy (around 1609–10)
- Amends for Ladies, a comedy (printed in 1618)
Plays Written with Others
- With John Fletcher and Philip Massinger:
- The Honest Man's Fortune, a tragicomedy (1613)
- The Queen of Corinth, a tragicomedy (around 1616–18)
- The Knight of Malta, a tragicomedy (around 1619)
- With Philip Massinger:
- The Fatal Dowry, a tragedy (around 1619)
- With John Fletcher:
- Four Plays in One (around 1608–13)
