Thomas Goffe facts for kids

Thomas Goffe (born 1591, died 1629) was a writer of plays during the Jacobean era. This means he wrote his plays when King James I was ruling England.

Life of Thomas Goffe

Thomas Goffe was born in Essex, England, in 1591. He first went to Westminster School, where he was a special student called a Queen's Scholar. On November 3, 1609, he received a scholarship to attend Christ Church, Oxford, a famous university.

He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), on June 17, 1613. He continued his studies and received his Master of Arts (M.A.) on June 20, 1616. While at Christ Church, Goffe was involved in acting and writing plays. He kept studying and on July 3, 1623, he earned a Bachelor of Divinity, which is a degree in religious studies. Soon after, on July 11, 1623, he was allowed to preach as a minister.

After getting his divinity degree, Goffe was asked to be a rector (like a priest or minister) at a church in East Clandon, Surrey. This job paid about eight pounds a year. However, Goffe also gave speeches in Latin and wrote poems to honor important people. These included Sir Thomas Bodley, Queen Anne of Denmark, and William Godwin, who was the dean of Christ Church.

Thomas Goffe lived alone for most of his life. He was known for not liking women and stayed a bachelor for a long time. However, he eventually married a woman in East Clandon. She was the widow of the previous rector. A friend from Oxford, Thomas Thimble, warned Goffe that this marriage might cause him trouble. Sadly, Goffe's marriage was very difficult. His wife and her children from her first marriage were often disrespectful to him and his friends. For example, when some of Goffe's friends from Oxford visited, his wife seemed unhappy and served them only eggs and milk for dinner. Goffe was embarrassed and made sure his friends had a better meal the next night. Many people believed that the stress from his difficult marriage led to his death on July 27, 1629, not long after he got married.

Thomas Goffe's Plays

Thomas Goffe was a busy playwright while he was at Christ Church. We don't know the exact order he wrote his plays, but experts think his first play was probably The Raging Turk, also called Bajazet II. This play is a tragedy, which means it has a sad or serious ending. It was performed at Christ Church sometime between 1613 and 1618. However, it was published after he died, in 1631.

His second play is thought to be The Tragedy of Orestes, which was also performed around 1613–1618 and published in 1633. His last play performed at Christ Church was The Courageous Turk, or Amurath the First. It was performed on September 21, 1618, and published in 1632. All three of his main plays were later published together in one book in 1656, titled Three Excellent Tragedies.

It's hard to know the exact dates these three plays were written. But their style, simple conversations, and the fact that Goffe used a book called The General Historie of the Turkes by Richard Knolles as inspiration, suggest that The Raging Turk was his first play. Also, in The Courageous Turk, a few lines in the introduction hint that it was the third play performed at Christ Church. These lines say:

"Our hope which intends,/ The sacred Muses Progeny to greet,/ Which under roofe, now the third time meet…"

Stories of His Plays

• The Raging Turk: This play is a tragedy about Emperor Bajazet II. He tries very hard to keep his power, but his sons are plotting against him, and his brother wants to take his place. As he tries to stop anyone from taking over, things get very confusing, and many people die. In the end, Bajazet is poisoned, and his grandson, Solyman, becomes the new emperor. Many scholars believe that in this play, Goffe seemed interested in the idea of the "Turks" being evil and very greedy.

• The Tragedy of Orestes: This play tells the story of Aegisthus killing Agamemnon with help from Clytemnestra. Orestes, who is Agamemnon's son, isn't sure who killed his father. He asks his good friend, Pylades, for help. They pretend to have died by jumping off a cliff. Orestes is told that if he brings his father's bones to a magic woman named Canidia, she will show him who the killer is. When Orestes learns the truth, he takes revenge on Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. After they are killed, Orestes is not allowed to be king and is sent away. Eventually, Orestes and Pylades die in a fight.

• The Courageous Turk: This play has two parts. The first part is about Amurath's strong feelings for a woman named Eumorphe, his officers being unhappy with his personal life, and Eumorphe's death. The second part shows Amurath's many war adventures in Serbia (like the Battle of Kosovo). It also shows confusion among the Christian fighters, the marriage of Amurath's son Bajazet, Amurath's conflict with his son-in-law Aladin, and how Amurath and a Christian captain named Cobelitz both die in a fight. Finally, Bajazet becomes emperor after his brother Jacup dies.

Other Writings by Thomas Goffe

Here are some other works by Thomas Goffe:

• The Raging Turk or Bajazet II, performed at Christ Church, Oxford, around 1613–1618.
• The Tragedy of Orestes, performed at Christ Church, Oxford, around 1613–1618.
• The Courageous Turk, or Amurath the First, performed at Christ Church, Oxford, on September 21, 1618.
• The Careless Shepherdess, which some people think Goffe wrote, performed at Christ Church, Oxford, around 1618–1629.
• Phoenissae, performed at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1619.
• Deliverance from the Grave. This was a sermon (a religious speech) he gave in London on March 28, 1627.