Richard Hathwaye facts for kids

Richard Hathwaye (active from 1597 to 1603) was an English playwright. He wrote many plays during the time of famous writers like William Shakespeare.

About Richard Hathwaye's Life

We don't know much about Richard Hathwaye's early life. He lived in England during a very exciting time for theatre, known as the English Renaissance. He died in 1604 and was buried in London.

Some people wonder if he was related to Anne Hathaway, who was William Shakespeare's wife. However, there is no proof that they were related. Richard Hathwaye worked with a theatre group called the "Admiral's Men." This group was supported by a powerful person named Charles Howard. Interestingly, William Shakespeare's group, the "Lord Chamberlain's Men," was also supported by a powerful person, Henry Carey. These connections show how important theatre was back then!

Richard Hathwaye's Theatre Career

Most of what we know about Hathwaye's plays comes from the records of a theatre manager named Philip Henslowe. Hathwaye wrote many plays for Henslowe's theatre groups, including the Admiral's Men and Worcester's Men. These plays were performed at the famous Rose Theater in London.

He wrote some plays by himself, but he often worked with other playwrights. His first known play, King Arthur, was written in 1597. A writer named Francis Meres mentioned Hathwaye in 1598, saying he was one of the "best for comedy." This suggests Hathwaye had been writing plays for a while before that.

Hathwaye also wrote special poems called "commendatory verses." These poems were like short praises for other writers' books. He wrote some for John Bodenham's book Belvedere, which came out in 1600.

Most of Hathwaye's plays are now lost. Only one part of a play he helped write, called Sir John Oldcastle, still exists. This play was written to show the character of Sir John Oldcastle in a more positive way. This was because William Shakespeare's plays, Henry IV (Part 1) and Henry IV (Part 2), had shown Oldcastle in a negative light. People who were related to the real Sir John Oldcastle, who was a historical hero, didn't like this. So, they asked for a new play to be written. Because of this, Shakespeare later changed the character of Oldcastle in his plays to Sir John Falstaff.

Known Plays by Richard Hathwaye

Here are some of the plays Richard Hathwaye is known to have worked on, either by himself or with other writers:

For the Admiral's Men (1598-1603):

• King Arthur, April 1598.
• Valentine and Orson, with Anthony Munday, July 1598.
• Sir John Oldcastle, Part I, with Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson, October–December 1599.
• Sir John Oldcastle, Part II, with Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson, October–December 1599.
• Owen Tudor, with Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, January 1600.
• Fair Constance of Rome, Part I, with Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, June 1600.
• Fair Constance of Rome, Part II, with Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, June 1600.
• Hannibal and Scipio, with William Rankins, January 1601.
• Scogan and Skelton, with William Rankins, January–March 1601.
• The Conquest of Spain by John of Gaunt, with William Rankins, March–April 1601.
• The Six Clothiers, Part I, with William Haughton and Wentworth Smith, October–November 1601.
• The Six Clothiers, Part II, with William Haughton and Wentworth Smith, October–November 1601.
• Too Good to be True, with Henry Chettle and Wentworth Smith, November 1601-January 1602.
• Merry as May Be, with John Day and Wentworth Smith, November 1602.

For Worcester's Men (1602-1603):

• The Black Dog of Newgate, Part I, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and another writer, November 1602-February 1603.
• The Black Dog of Newgate, Part II, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and another writer, November 1602-February 1603.
• The Unfortunate General, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and a third writer, January 1603.

For the Admiral's Men (1603):

• The Boss of Billingsgate, with John Day and other writers, March 1603.