Thomas Heywood facts for kids
Thomas Heywood (born in the early 1570s, died August 16, 1641) was an English writer, actor, and author. He was very important in the world of theater during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre periods. He is most famous for his play A Woman Killed with Kindness. This play was first shown in 1603 at the Rose Theatre. It was performed by a group called the Worcester's Men. Heywood wrote a lot! He once said he helped write or wrote "two hundred and twenty plays." But we only have a small number of his works today.
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Thomas Heywood's Early Life
We don't know many exact details about Heywood's early life. Most records suggest he was born in Lincolnshire, a county in England. His birth year is thought to be around 1570, 1573, 1574, or 1575. Some people think his father was a church leader. They also guess he might be related to an older writer named John Heywood.
Heywood is believed to have studied at the University of Cambridge. However, it's not clear which college he attended. Some thought he was a Fellow at Peterhouse, but this was later shown to be unlikely. There is some proof that he was a student at Emmanuel.
Later, Heywood moved to London. We first hear about his theater career in October 1596. A theater owner named Philip Henslowe wrote in his diary that he paid Heywood for a play. This play was performed by an acting group called the Admiral's Men. By 1598, Heywood was a regular actor with this group. He was likely a "sharer," meaning he owned a part of the company. This was common for important members.
He later joined other acting groups. These included Lord Southampton's, Lord Strange's Men, and Worcester's Men. The Worcester's Men later became known as Queen Anne's Men. During this time, Heywood wrote a huge number of plays. He said he was involved in 220 plays. But only 23 plays and 8 masques that he wrote, fully or partly, have survived.
Heywood's Creative Works
Heywood's first play might have been The Four Prentises of London. It was printed in 1615 but performed about 15 years earlier. This story is about four young apprentices who become knights. They travel all the way to Jerusalem. This play was probably written to appeal to young apprentices who watched plays. It was very popular.
Heywood also wrote two-part history plays. These include Edward IV (printed 1600). Another is If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody, or, The Troubles of Queene Elizabeth (1605 and 1606). These plays were about The Wars of the Roses and the life of Queen Elizabeth. They also featured a famous merchant named Thomas Gresham.
Heywood wrote many plays for the stage. He often complained when his works were printed. He said he didn't have time to make changes to them. A writer named Charles Lamb called him a "prose Shakespeare." This means he was a great writer, like Shakespeare, but in everyday language. Heywood was good at creating exciting scenes for the stage. He loved to include funny and silly moments in his plays. He had endless new ideas.
His comedies about city life are interesting. They show the sights, smells, and sounds of London's busy areas. These include the docks, markets, shops, and streets.
Heywood also wrote many prose works. These were mostly short books about current events. Today, historians find them useful for learning about that time. His most famous long essay is An Apology for Actors. In this book, he defended actors and the stage. He wrote it to answer people who criticized plays. It also gives us a lot of information about actors and how plays were performed in his time.
In 1641, Heywood published The Life of Merlin Surnamed Ambrosius. This book told the story of all the kings of England. It started with the legendary king Brutus and went up to King Charles I. King Charles I was the king when Heywood died. The book also talked about prophecies by Merlin and what they might mean.
Later Years and Death
Between 1619 and 1624, Heywood stopped acting for some reason. But from 1624 until he died, his name appeared often in records. During this time, Heywood worked with Christopher Beeston's company. They performed at The Phoenix theatre. He also worked with Queen Henrietta's Men and Lady Elizabeth's Men.
At The Phoenix, Heywood created new plays. These included The Captives, The English Traveller, and A Maidenhead Well Lost. He also brought back older plays. Many of his prose and poetry books were published. These included two long poems. One was Gynaikeion (1624), which was about women's history. The other, published 11 years later, was The Hierarchy of the Blessed Angels.
Heywood was very popular in his final years. His play Love's Mistress or the Queen's Masque was published in 1636. It had been performed since 1634. It was so popular that King Charles I and his queen watched it three times in eight days!
Thomas Heywood lived in Clerkenwell from 1623. He was buried there at St. James's Church eighteen years later. We don't know his exact birth year, so we can only guess his age. He was probably in his late sixties, maybe even seventy. He was buried on August 16, 1641. This is the only date we know for sure. Many books list this as his death date, but he might have died a few days earlier.
Heywood's Works
Plays
Tragedies
- A Woman Killed with Kindness (around 1603), a play about everyday family problems.
Comedies
- How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad (1602)
- The Wise Woman of Hoxton (performed around 1604; printed 1634)
- The Captives (approved 1624)
- A Maidenhead Well Lost (performed and published 1634)
- The Late Lancashire Witches (1634), written with Richard Brome.
Romances
- The Four Prentices of London (performed around 1592; published 1615), a romantic adventure play.
- The Royal King and Loyal Subject (performed around 1615–18; printed 1637)
- The Fair Maid of the West Parts One and Two (both printed 1631), a romantic adventure play.
- A Challenge for Beauty
- The English Traveler (performed around 1627; printed 1633)
- Fortune by Land and Sea (printed 1655), written with William Rowley.
History Plays
- If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody Parts One and Two
- Edward IV Parts One and Two
- The Golden Age (1611)
- The Silver Age (1613)
- The Brazen Age (1613)
- The Iron Age, Part One and Part Two (1632)
Plays Thought to Be by Heywood
- The Fair Maid of the Exchange (printed without a writer's name in 1607), a play about family life. It might be by Heywood.
- Dick of Devonshire
- A New Wonder, a Woman Never Vexed
- Appius and Virginia
- Swetnam the Woman-Hater
- The Thracian Wonder
Masques and Pageants
- Love's Mistress or The Queens Masque (printed 1636), a story about Cupid and Psyche.
- A series of pageants (public shows or parades). Most were made for the City of London or its guilds. Heywood wrote them, and they were printed in 1637.
Poetry
- Troia Britannica, or Great Britain's Troy (1609), a long poem. It had many fun stories and a history from the creation of the world to that time.
- The Hierarchy of the Blessed Angels (1635), a teaching poem in nine books.
- Pleasant Dialogue, and Dramas Selected Out of Lucian, etc. (1637)
- The Conspiracie of Cateline and Warre of Jugurth, translations of works by Sallust (1608).
Prose (Non-Fiction Books)
- An Apology for Actors, Containing Three Brief Treatises (1612), a book defending actors.
- Gynaikeion or Nine Books of Various History Concerning Women (1624)
- England's Elizabeth, Her Life and Troubles During Her Minority from Time Cradle to the Crown (1631), about Queen Elizabeth I's early life.
- The Life of Merlin, surnamed Ambrosius; his Prophecies and Predictions Interpreted, and their Truth Made Good by our English Annals: Being a Chronographical History of all the Kings and Memorable Passages of this Kingdom, from Brute to the reign of King Charles (1641), about the legendary Merlin and English kings.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Heywood para niños
