Thomas Watson (poet) facts for kids

Thomas Watson (born 1555 – died 1592) was an English poet and translator. He helped start a new kind of song-poem called the madrigal in England. While he wrote some English poems, he mostly wrote in Latin. He was also the first person to translate the ancient Greek play Antigone by Sophocles into English.

Watson introduced Italian poetry styles into English writing. This influenced many English writers of his time, including the famous William Shakespeare. In fact, in 1595, a writer named William Covell called Shakespeare "Watson's heyre" (heir), meaning Shakespeare followed in Watson's footsteps. Watson was especially admired for his Latin writings. He also created unique 18-line sonnets, which were poems with a special structure. Even though this form was not widely used by others, his sonnets still influenced writers like Shakespeare.

Watson's Early Life and Education

Thomas Watson was born in the middle of 1555, likely in London. His parents, William Watson and Anne Lee, were quite well-off. Sadly, his father died in 1559, and his mother died in 1561. After this, Thomas and his older brother went to live with their uncle in Oxfordshire.

From 1567, Watson attended Winchester College, a famous school. Later, he went to Oxford University but did not finish his degree. After his uncle passed away in 1572, Watson traveled to Europe. He spent about seven and a half years in Italy and France. During this time, he started to become known as a poet. When he returned to England, he studied law in London. Even though he often signed his works as a "student of law," he never actually worked as a lawyer. His true passion was literature. However, he did know many well-known lawyers and spent time in places where lawyers gathered.

Watson's earliest known work that still exists is a Latin version of the play Antigone, which he published in 1581. He dedicated this work to Philip Howard, the Earl of Arundel.

English Poetry Works

In 1582, Watson's English poetry first appeared in a book by George Whetstone. The same year, he published a much more important work called Hekatompathia or Passionate Centurie of Love. This book was dedicated to Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who had read Watson's poems before they were published and encouraged him to share them.

This collection, also known as Watson's Passion, was published in 1584. It contains over 100 poems written in the style of French and Italian sonnets. Many of them were also translations. A unique thing about these poems is that even though they look and are called sonnets, they are actually made of three sets of six-line stanzas, making them 18 lines long.

Watson was recognized for his special poetic "Methods and motifs" during the 1580s. Other writers of his time thought highly of him. He openly used ideas from famous poets like Petrarch and Ronsard. The Oxford Companion to English Literature notes that Watson's sonnets "appear to have been studied by Shakespeare and other contemporaries."

Watson was also a friend of John Lyly, another writer, when they were at Oxford. They continued their literary connection in London, supported by the Earl of Oxford.

Latin Poetry Works

As Watson's fame grew, his name became linked with other important writers like Christopher Marlowe and George Peele. Younger writers, such as Thomas Nashe, also admired him and thought he was the best Latin poet in England.

In 1585, Watson published his first Latin epic poem called Amyntas. This poem tells the story of a shepherd's sadness over the death of his love, Phyllis. This epic was later translated into English by Abraham Fraunce in 1587, but without Watson's permission. Fraunce's translation was criticized for not being accurate enough.

To prevent more poor translations of his work, Watson published his 1590 poem Melibœus in both Latin and English. This poem was a tribute to the death of Sir Francis Walsingham, an important government official.

Watson as a Playwright

Watson also wrote plays, but none of them have survived to today. His employer, William Cornwallis, once said that creating "twenty fictions and knaveryes in a play" was Watson's "daily practyse and his living." This suggests that Watson wrote plays often. In 1598, a writer named Francis Meres listed Watson among "our best for Tragedie," meaning he was considered a good writer of serious plays.

Some people have suggested that the anonymous play Arden of Faversham might have been largely written by Watson, with some help from Shakespeare.

Later Works and Legacy

In 1589, Christopher Marlowe, another famous writer, was involved in a fight near Watson's home. Marlowe was held in prison for a short time because of this.

In 1590, Watson wrote The First Set of Italian Madrigals. This book was published by Thomas Este and mainly featured songs by the famous madrigal composer Luca Marenzio. Watson provided English words for these madrigals. He didn't just translate the Italian words directly. Instead, he wrote new English lyrics that fit the feeling of the music. Many of his versions were almost entirely new poems. This collection also included music by William Byrd, with two settings of an original English song, "This sweet and merry month of May," likely written by Watson.

Not much is known about the rest of Watson's life. He was buried on September 26, 1592, in the church of St Bartholomew the Less. A month later, his second Latin epic, "Amintae Gaudia," was published by his friend, possibly Marlowe. This poem tells the story of Amyntas's love and how he eventually wins Phyllis, making it an earlier part of his first epic.

In the following year, Watson's last book, The Tears of Fancie, or Love Disdained (1593), was published after his death. This is a collection of 60 sonnets, which are regular 14-line poems. Watson uses the first person throughout this book. It is believed that Marlowe helped arrange for this book to be published after Watson's death. The poet Edmund Spenser is thought to have mentioned Watson's early death in his poem Colin Clouts Come Home Again.

Watson's Reputation and Influence

Francis Meres mentioned Watson alongside Shakespeare, Peele, and Marlowe as "the best for tragedie," even though none of Watson's plays survive today except his translations. Watson was very well-regarded during his lifetime. He also directly influenced young Shakespeare.

Watson was one of the first English poets, after Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, to truly bring the style of the Italian poet Petrarch into English poetry. As Meres put it, "He shows his inventiveness by his variety of treatment." This means Watson was good at finding many different ways to use poetic ideas. He was also very knowledgeable about Italian, French, and Greek literature.

Watson in Modern Literature

Thomas Watson appears as an important character in the novel A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess. In the book, he is a close friend of Marlowe and helps him with some of his plays. He is also a key character in The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber.