William Sampson (playwright) facts for kids
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William Sampson (born around 1590, died around 1636) was an English writer who mostly wrote plays. He lived during a time when famous writers like William Shakespeare were also creating amazing works. Sampson's plays and poems give us a peek into what life and entertainment were like in England long ago.
Contents
William Sampson: A Playwright's Life
Early Life and Career
William Sampson was probably born around 1590 in a small village called South Leverton, near Retford in Nottinghamshire. His family were "yeomen," which meant they owned their own land and farmed it. From a young age, Sampson worked for wealthy families in his local area. By 1628, he found a steady job working for Sir Henry Willoughby, a rich landowner in Risley, Derbyshire. Another writer, Phineas Fletcher, also lived with the Willoughby family for a few years, so Sampson might have met him there.
Sampson passed away not long after his book Virtus post Funera was published in 1636.
Sampson's Plays
Sampson became friends with Gervase Markham, another writer from Nottinghamshire. They worked together on a play, probably around 1612. This play was a tragedy about the story of Herod and Antipater, based on an ancient history book called Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus.
The True Tragedy of Herod and Antipater
This play was very popular in London. It was officially allowed to be published in 1622 and came out as The True Tragedy of Herod and Antipater. Markham had mentioned a similar play earlier, so Sampson likely updated it before it was published. The play used ideas from Josephus's book, which had been translated into English in 1558. It was a play for everyone, with exciting scenes and even some violence on stage. It was performed at the Red Bull Theatre, a place known for its lively shows that audiences loved.
The Vow Breaker
Sampson also wrote a play called The Vow Breaker. This play was based on a popular story about a character named Bateman, which was also told in a small book called Bateman's Tragedy; or the perjured Bride justly rewarded and a well-known song. Sampson's play was written partly in blank verse (poetry without rhyme) and partly in regular prose.
Another part of the play was about Gervase Clifton, a respected local person who was a Member of Parliament and a soldier. He fought against the Scots in 1560 during the Siege of Leith. This part of the story came from Holinshed's Chronicles, a famous history book. In the last part of the play, the mayor of Nottingham talks to Queen Elizabeth I about how boats could travel on the River Trent.
The Widow's Prize
A third play, a comedy called The Widow's Prize, is also thought to have been written by Sampson. In 1625, an official named Sir Henry Herbert allowed this play to be performed by a group called Prince Charles's Men, but only if some small changes were made. Sadly, the original handwritten copy of this play was lost in the 1700s.
Poetry and Other Writings
Later in his life, Sampson started writing long poems about important and respected people from the middle parts of England. In 1636, his book Virtus post Funera vivit, or Honour Tryumphing over Death was published. The title means "Virtue lives after death, or Honor Triumphs over Death." This book contained true short descriptions of honorable, noble, learned, and welcoming people.
The book started with lines written to William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle, a very important person. It also had a dedication in prose (regular writing) to Christian, Dowager Countess of Devon, and another in verse (poetry) to Charles, the Earl of Newcastle's son. The book had 32 poems, all written in "heroic couplets" (two rhyming lines of poetry). Some of the people remembered in these poems included Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (also known as Bess of Hardwick), and William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire. Another writer, Philip Kynder, also wrote a short poem praising Sampson's work, which was included in the book.
Sampson kept trying to get support from the Cavendish family, who were very powerful. He wrote another poem that was never printed, called Love's Metamorphosis, or Apollo and Daphne. It was dedicated to Margaret Cavendish, Marchioness of Newcastle. This poem was quite long, with about 180 stanzas (groups of lines) of six lines each. A copy of it still exists in a collection of old manuscripts called Harleian MS. 6947. Another one of Sampson's poems, Cicero's Loyal Epistle according to Hannibal Caro, was dedicated to Lucy Hastings, who was married to Ferdinando, Lord Hastings.
His Family
William Sampson married a woman named Helen, who was the daughter of Gregory Vicars and sister of John Viccars. They had at least two sons, Henry and William. Both sons went on to become fellows (senior members) at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, a college at Cambridge University. William (1635–1702) later became a rector (a type of priest) in Clayworth and a prebendary (a type of church official) in Lincoln starting in 1672. After William Sampson died, his wife Helen married Obadiah Grew in 1637.
