Robert Baron (poet) facts for kids

Robert Baron (born in 1630) was an English writer who created poems and plays. He was known for copying other people's work without giving them credit. This is called plagiarism. His copied works were not discovered for over 100 years after he died!

The Life of Robert Baron

Robert Baron was born in 1630. He went to Caius College, Cambridge, a famous university. However, it seems he did not finish his degree there. After the year 1650, Robert Baron disappeared. No one knows what happened to him after that time.

Robert Baron's Writings

Baron wrote several books and plays. His first printed work was called Erotopaignion, or the Cyprian Academy. He said he finished it in 1647. This book was dedicated to James Howell, a well-known writer. Howell might have been Baron's uncle.

Copying from John Milton

Many parts of The Cyprian Academy and Baron's other works were copied. He took them almost exactly from the 1645 Poems by John Milton. At that time, Milton was not very famous. Later, people like Thomas Warton discovered Baron's copying. They showed how much he had taken from Milton's poems.

His Play: Mirza

Baron's most famous work is a play called Mirza. The title page said it was a true story acted in Persia a long time ago. Baron admitted that the story was similar to another play. This play was called Sophy by Sir John Denham. Baron said he had written most of his play before he saw Denham's. Denham's play came out in 1642, and Baron's Mirza was likely written around 1648.

Some people, like Thomas Warton, thought Mirza was copied from Catiline by Ben Jonson. But this might not be completely true. The play Mirza has some strong and exciting lines that seem to be Baron's own ideas. Baron also added over 100 pages of notes to his play. This made the book very long.

Other Works and Mistakes

In 1650, Baron published another book called Pocula Castalia. In 1649, he wrote "Apologie for Paris for rejecting of Juno and Pallas and presenting of Ate's Golden Ball to Venus."

A writer named Gerard Langbaine noticed similarities between Baron's Mirza and Jonson's Catiline. He also pointed out that other writers, like Edward Phillips and William Winstanley, made mistakes. They often said Baron wrote plays that he actually did not. This happened because of how lists of authors were put together back then.