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John Marston (baptised 7 October 1576 – 25 June 1634) was an English playwright, poet and satirist during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods. His career as a writer lasted only a decade. His work is remembered for its energetic and often obscure style, its contributions to the development of a distinctively Jacobean style in poetry, and its idiosyncratic vocabulary.


Life

Marston was born to John and Maria Marston ''née'' Guarsi, and baptised 7 October 1576, at
Wardington Wardington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northeast of Banbury. The village consists of two parts: Wardington and Upper Wardington. The village is on a stream that rises in Upper Wardington and flows north to join the River ...
,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. His father was an eminent lawyer of the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
who first argued in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and then became the counsel to
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
and ultimately its steward. John Marston entered
Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...
, in 1592 and received his BA in 1594. By 1595, he was in London, living in the Middle Temple, where he had been admitted a member three years previously. He had an interest in poetry and play writing, although his father's will of 1599 expresses the hope that he would give up such vanities. He married Mary Wilkes in 1605, daughter of the Reverend William Wilkes, one of King James's
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
s.


Early career

Marston's brief career in literature began with a foray into the then-fashionable genres of erotic
epyllion A sleeping Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus is the topic of an elaborate ecphrasis">Theseus.html" ;"title="Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus">Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus is the topic of an elaborate ecphrasis in Catullus 64, the most famous e ...
and
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
. In 1598, he published ''The Metamorphosis of Pigmalion's Image and Certaine Satyres'', a book of poetry in imitation of, on the one hand,
Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
, and, on the other, the
Satires of Juvenal The ''Satires'' () are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of th ...
. He also published another book of satires, ''The Scourge of Villanie'', in 1598. (Marston issued these satires under the pseudonym "W. Kinsayder.") The satire in these books is even more savage and misanthropic than was typical for the decade's satirists. Marston's style is, moreover, in places contorted to the point of unintelligibility: he believed that satire should be rough and obscure, perhaps because he thought (as did many other writers of the time) that the term 'satire' was derived from the Greek '
satyr play The satyr play is a form of Attic theatre performance related to both comedy and tragedy. It preserves theatrical elements of dialogue, actors speaking verse, a chorus that dances and sings, masks and costumes. Its relationship to tragedy is stro ...
s'. Marston seems to have been enraged by Joseph Hall's claim to be the first satirist in English; Hall comes in for some indirect
flyting Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse. Etymology The word ''flyting'' comes from the Old English verb meaning 'to quarrel', made into a noun with the suffix -''ing''. ...
in at least one of the satires. Some see
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's
Thersites In Greek mythology, Thersites (; Ancient Greek: Θερσίτης) was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. Family The ''Iliad'' does not mention his father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rathe ...
and
Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago hates ...
, as well as the mad speeches of
King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
as influenced by ''The Scourge of Villanie''. Marston had, however, arrived on the literary scene as the fad for verse satire was to be checked by censors. The
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
John Whitgift and the
Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
Richard Bancroft Richard Bancroft (1544 – 2 November 1610) was an English churchman, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1604 to 1610 and "chief overseer" of the King James Bible. Life Bancroft was born in September 1544 at Farnworth, now part of Widnes, Che ...
banned the ''Scourge'' and had it publicly burned, along with copies of works by other satirists, on 4 June 1599.


Playwriting with Henslowe

In September 1599, John Marston began to work for
Philip Henslowe Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 – 6 January 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance ...
as a playwright. Following the work of O. J. Campbell, it has commonly been thought that Marston turned to the theatre in response to the
Bishops' Ban of 1599 On 1 June 1599, John Whitgift (the Archbishop of Canterbury) and Richard Bancroft (the Bishop of London) signed their names on an order to ban a selection of literary works. This act of censorship has become known among scholars as the "Bishop ...
; more recent scholars have noted that the ban was not enforced with great rigor and might not have intimidated prospective satirists at all. At any rate, Marston proved a good match for the stage—not the public stage of Henslowe, but the "private" playhouses where
boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...
s performed racy dramas for an audience of city gallants and young members of the
Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...
. Traditionally, though without strong external attribution, ''Histriomastix'' has been regarded as his first play; performed by either the Children of Paul's or the students of the Middle Temple in around 1599, it appears to have sparked the
War of the Theatres The War of the Theatres is the name commonly applied to a controversy from the later Elizabethan theatre; Thomas Dekker termed it the ''Poetomachia''. Because of an actual ban on satire in prose and verse publications in 1599 (the Bishops' Ban of ...
, the
literary feud A literary feud is a conflict or quarrel between well-known writers, usually conducted in public view by way of published letters, speeches, lectures, and interviews. In the book ''Literary Feuds'', Anthony Arthur describes why readers might be i ...
between Marston, Jonson and Dekker that took place between around 1599 and 1602. In c. 1600, Marston wrote ''Jack Drum's Entertainment'' and ''Antonio and Mellida'', and in 1601 he wrote ''Antonio's Revenge'', a sequel to the latter play; all three were performed by the company at Paul's. In 1601, he contributed poems to Robert Chester's ''Love's Martyr.'' For Henslowe, he may have collaborated with Dekker, Day, and Haughton on ''
Lust's Dominion ''Lust's Dominion, or The Lascivious Queen'' is an English Renaissance stage play, a tragedy written perhaps around 1600, probably by Thomas Dekker in collaboration with others and first published in 1657. The play has been categorized as a rev ...
''.


Feud with Jonson

By 1601, he was well known in London literary circles, particularly in his role as enemy to the equally pugnacious
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
. Jonson, who reported to Drummond that Marston had accused him of sexual profligacy, satirized Marston as Clove in ''
Every Man Out of His Humour ''Every Man out of His Humour'' is a satirical comedy written by English playwright Ben Jonson, acted in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The play The play is a conceptual sequel to his 1598 comedy ''Every Man in His Humour''. It was much l ...
'', as Crispinus in ''Poetaster'', and as Hedon in ''Cynthia's Revels''. Jonson criticised Marston for being a false poet, a vain, careless writer who plagiarised the works of others and whose own works were marked by bizarre diction and ugly neologisms. For his part, Marston may have satirized Jonson as the complacent, arrogant critic Brabant Senior in ''Jack Drum's Entertainment'' and as the envious, misanthropic playwright and satirist Lampatho Doria in ''
What You Will ''What You Will'' is a late Elizabethan comedy by John Marston, written in 1601 and probably performed by the Children of Paul's, one of the companies of boy actors popular in that period. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on ...
''. '' The Return from Parnassus (II)'', a satirical play performed at
St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...
in 1601 and 1602, characterised Marston as a poet whose writings see him "pissing against the world". If Jonson can be trusted, the animosity between himself and Marston went beyond the literary. He claimed to have beaten Marston and taken his pistol. However, the two playwrights were reconciled soon after the so-called War; Marston wrote a prefatory poem for Jonson's ''Sejanus'' in 1605 and dedicated ''The Malcontent'' to Jonson. Yet in 1607, he criticized Jonson for being too pedantic to make allowances for his audience or the needs of aesthetics.


Blackfriars

Outside of these tensions, Marston's career continued to prosper. In 1603, he became a shareholder in the Children of Blackfriars company, at that time known for steadily pushing the allowable limits of personal satire, violence, and lewdness on stage. He wrote and produced two plays with the company. The first was ''The Malcontent'' in 1603; this satiric tragicomedy is Marston's most famous play. This work was originally written for the children at Blackfriars, and was later taken over (perhaps stolen) by the Kings' Men at the Globe, with additions by John Webster and (perhaps) Marston himself. Marston's second play for the Blackfriars children was ''The Dutch Courtesan'', a satire on lust and hypocrisy, in 1604–5. In 1605, he worked with
George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
and Ben Jonson on ''
Eastward Ho ''Eastward Hoe'' or ''Eastward Ho!'' is an early Jacobean-era stage play written by George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John Marston. The play was first performed at the Blackfriars Theatre by a company of boy actors known as the Children of the ...
'', a satire of popular taste and the vain imaginings of wealth to be found in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Chapman and Jonson were arrested for, according to Jonson, a few clauses that offended the Scots, but Marston escaped any imprisonment. The actual cause of arrest and details of the brief detainment are not certainly known; in the event, charges were dropped. In 1606, Marston seems to have offended and then soothed King James. First, in ''Parasitaster, or, The Fawn,'' he satirized the king specifically. However, in the summer of that year, he put on a production of ''The Dutch Courtesan'' for the King of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
's visit, with a
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
verse on King James that was presented by hand to the king. Finally, in 1607, he wrote '' The Entertainment at Ashby'', a
masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...
for the
Earl of Huntingdon Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The medieval title (1065 creation) was associated with the ruling house of Scotland (David I of Scotland, David of Scotland). The seventh and most rec ...
. At that point, he stopped his dramatic career altogether, selling his shares in the company of Blackfriars. His departure from the literary scene may have been because of another play, now lost, which offended the king. It seems that the French ambassador complained to King James about the disrespectful treatment of the French court in plays by Chapman performed at Blackfriars. To strengthen his case he added that another play had been performed in which James himself was depicted drunk. Incensed, James suspended performances at Blackfriars and had Marston imprisoned. This suggests that he was the author of the offending play.


Later life

After the end of his literary career, he moved into his father-in-law's house and began studying
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
. In 1609, he became a reader at the
Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
at
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, was made a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
on 24 September and a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
on 24 December 1609. Contemporary authors were bemused or surprised by Marston's change of career, with several of them commenting on its seeming abruptness. In October 1616, Marston was assigned the living of
Christchurch, Hampshire Christchurch () is a town and civil parish in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town had a population of 31,372 in 2021. For the borough the population was 48,368. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Part ...
. He died on 24 June 1634, aged 57, in London and was buried in the Middle Temple Church. Tombs at that time often started with the formulaic "''Memoriae Sacrum''" ("Sacred to the memory") followed by the name of the tomb's occupant and an account of their achievements even though such words are
hubris Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', mean ...
tic and a contradiction to the Christian virtues of modesty. According to
Anthony à Wood Anthony Wood (17 December 1632 – 28 November 1695), who styled himself Anthony à Wood in his later writings, was an English antiquary. He was responsible for a celebrated ''Hist. and Antiq. of the Universitie of Oxon''. Early life Anthony W ...
John Marston's tomb stone bore the legend "''Oblivioni Sacrum''" ("Sacred to Oblivion"), which was probably composed by Marston, and, according to Joshua Scodel, the short "epitaph is thus both self-abasing and witty in its novel inversion of tradition".


Reception and criticism

Marston's reputation has varied widely, like that of most of the minor Renaissance dramatists. Both ''The Malcontent'' and ''The Dutch Courtesan'' remained on stage in altered forms through the
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
. The subplot of the latter was converted to a
droll A droll is a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. With the closure of the theatres, actors were left without any way of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known plays of the Elizab ...
during the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
; after the Stuart Restoration, either
Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...
or
Thomas Betterton Thomas Patrick Betterton (August 1635 – 28 April 1710), the leading male actor and theatre manager during Restoration England, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in London. Apprentice and actor Betterton was born in August 16 ...
updated the main plot for ''The Revenge, or The Match in Newgate'', although this adaptation makes the play both more sentimental and less morally complex.
Gerard Langbaine Gerard Langbaine (15 July 1656 – 23 June 1692) was an English dramatic biographer and critic, best known for his ''An Account of the English Dramatic Poets'' (1691), the earliest work to give biographical and critical information on the playwrig ...
makes a laudatory but superficial comment about Marston in his survey of English dramatic poets. After the Restoration, Marston's works were largely reduced to the status of a curiosity of literary history. The general resemblance of ''Antonio's Revenge'' to ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' and Marston's role in the war of the poets ensured that his plays would receive some scholarly attention, but they were not performed and were not even widely read.
Thomas Warton Thomas Warton (9 January 172821 May 1790) was an English literary historian, critic, and poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1785, following the death of William Whitehead. He is sometimes called ''Thomas Warton the younger'' to disti ...
preferred Marston's satires to Bishop Hall's; in the next century, however,
Henry Hallam Henry Hallam (9 July 1777 – 21 January 1859) was an English historian. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he practised as a barrister on the Oxford circuit for some years before turning to history. His major works were ''View of t ...
reversed this judgment.
William Gifford William Gifford (April 1756 – 31 December 1826) was an English critic, editor and poet, famous as a satirist and controversialist. Life Gifford was born in Ashburton, Devon, to Edward Gifford and Elizabeth Cain. His father, a glazier and ...
, perhaps the eighteenth century's most devoted reader of Jonson, called Marston "the most scurrilous, filthy and obscene writer of his time". The Romantic movement in English literature resuscitated Marston's reputation, albeit unevenly. In his lectures,
William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English lan ...
praised Marston's genius for satire; however, if the romantic critics and their successors were willing to grant Marston's best work a place among the great accomplishments of the period, they remained aware of his inconsistency, what
Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...
in a later generation called his "uneven and irregular demesne". In the twentieth century, however, a few critics were willing to consider Marston as a writer who was very much in control of the world he creates. T. S. Eliot saw that this "irregular demesne" was a part of Marston's world and declared that "It is … by giving us the sense of something behind, more real than any of the personages and their action, that Marston establishes himself among the writers of genius". Marston's tragic style is Senecan and although his characters may appear, on Eliot's own admission, "lifeless", they are instead used as types to convey their "theoretical implications". Eliot in particular admired ''Sophonisba'' and saw how Marston's plays, with their apparently stylised characters and bitter portrayal of a world where virtue and honour only arouse "dangerous envy" (''Sophonisba''; Act 1, scene 1, line 45) in those around them, actually bring to life "a pattern behind the pattern into which the characters deliberately involve themselves: the kind of pattern which we perceive in our own lives only at rare moments of inattention and detachment".T.S. Eliot, Selected Essays, London: Faber, 1932, reprinted and enlarged, 1934, repr. 1999), p. 232


Works

Plays and production dates * ''
Histriomastix (play) ''Histriomastix'' or ''The Player Whipped'' is a late Elizabethan play, written by the satirist John Marston and acted in 1599. It was previously thought that the play was likely acted by the Children of Paul's, one of the companies of boy actor ...
'', 1599 * ''
Antonio and Mellida ''Antonio and Mellida'' is a late Elizabethan play written by the satirist John Marston, usually dated to 1599. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 24 October 1601, and first published in quarto in 1602 by the booksellers Ma ...
'', London, Paul's theatre, 1599–1600. * ''
Jack Drum's Entertainment ''Jack Drum's Entertainment, or the Comedy of Pasquil and Katherine'' is a late Elizabethan play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston in 1600. It was first performed by the Children of Paul's, one of the troupes of boy actors popu ...
'', London, Paul's theatre, 1599/1600. * ''
Antonio's Revenge ''Antonio's Revenge'' is a late Elizabethan play written by John Marston and performed by the Children of Paul's. It is a sequel to Marston's comic play '' Antonio and Mellida,'' and it chronicles the conflict and violence between Piero Sforza ...
'', London, Paul's theatre, 1600. * ''
What You Will ''What You Will'' is a late Elizabethan comedy by John Marston, written in 1601 and probably performed by the Children of Paul's, one of the companies of boy actors popular in that period. The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on ...
'', London, Paul's theatre, 1601. * ''
The Malcontent ''The Malcontent'' is an early Jacobean stage play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston ca. 1603. The play was one of Marston's most successful works. ''The Malcontent'' is widely regarded as one of the most significant plays o ...
'', London,
Blackfriars Theatre Blackfriars Theatre was the name given to two separate theatres located in the former Blackfriars Dominican priory in the City of London during the Renaissance. The first theatre began as a venue for the Children of the Chapel Royal, child acto ...
, 1603–1604; Globe Theatre, 1604. * ''
Parasitaster, or The Fawn ''Parasitaster, or The Fawn'' is an early Jacobean play, written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston, probably in 1604, and performed by the Children of the Queen's Revels in the Blackfriars Theatre. The play is one of several written ...
'', London, Blackfriars theatre, 1604. * ''
Eastward Ho ''Eastward Hoe'' or ''Eastward Ho!'' is an early Jacobean-era stage play written by George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John Marston. The play was first performed at the Blackfriars Theatre by a company of boy actors known as the Children of the ...
'', by Marston,
George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
, and
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
, London, Blackfriars theatre, 1604–1605. * ''
The Dutch Courtesan ''The Dutch Courtesan'' is an early Jacobean stage play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston circa 1604. It was performed by the Children of the Queen's Revels, one of the troupes of boy actors active at the time, in the Blac ...
'', London, Blackfriars theatre, 1605. * ''
The Wonder of Women ''The Wonder of Women'' or ''The Tragedy of Sophonisba'' is an early Jacobean stage play written by the satiric dramatist John Marston. It was first performed by the Children of the Revels, one of the troupes of boy actors popular at the time ...
, or The Tragedy of
Sophonisba Sophonisba (in Punic, 𐤑𐤐𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 Ṣap̄anbaʿal) (fl. 203 BC) was a Carthaginian noblewoman who lived during the Second Punic War, and the daughter of Hasdrubal Gisco. She held influence over the Numidian political landscape, conv ...
'', London, Blackfriars theatre, 1606. * ''The Spectacle Presented to the Sacred Majesties of Great Britain, and Denmark as They Passed through London'', London, 31 July 1606. * '' The Entertainment of the Dowager-Countess of Darby'',
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire ...
in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, 1607. * ''
The Insatiate Countess ''The Insatiate Countess'' is an early Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy first published in 1613. The play is a problematic element in John Marston's dramatic canon. Publication ''The Insatiate Countess'' was first printed in 1613, in a quart ...
'', by Marston and
William Barksted William Barksted ( fl. 1611) was an English actor and poet. Biography William Barksted in 1609 performed in Ben Jonson's ''Epicene'', and in 1613 in Beaumont and Fletcher's ''Coxcomb''. When he performed in ''Epicene'' he was of the company " ...
, London,
Whitefriars Theatre The Whitefriars Theatre was a theatre in Jacobean London, in existence from 1608 to the 1620s — about which only limited and sometimes contradictory information survives. Location The Whitefriars district was outside the medieval city walls o ...
, 1608?. Books * ''The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image''. And Certaine Satyres (London: Printed by J. Roberts for E. Matts, 1598). * ''The Scourge of Villanie. Three Bookes of Satyres'' (London: Printed by J. Roberts & sold by J. Buzbie, 1598; revised and enlarged edition, London: J. Roberts, 1599). * ''Jacke Drums Entertainment: Or, The Comedie of Pasquill and Katherine'' (London: Printed by T. Creede for R. Olive, 1601). * ''Loves Martyr: or, Rosalins Complaint'', by Marston,
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
,
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, and
George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
(London: Printed for E. B., 1601). * ''The History of Antonio and Mellida'' (London: Printed by R. Bradock for M. Lownes & T. Fisher, 1602). * ''Antonios Revenge'' (London: Printed by R. Bradock for T. Fisher, 1602). * ''The Malcontent'' (London: Printed by V. Simmes for W. Aspley, 1604). * ''Eastward Hoe'', by Marston, Chapman, and Jonson (London: Printed by G. Eld for W. Aspley, 1605). * ''The Dutch Courtezan'' (London: Printed by T. Purfoote for J. Hodgets, 1605). * ''Parasitaster, or The Fawne'' (London: Printed by T. Purfoote for W. Cotton, 1606). * ''The Wonder of Women, or The Tragedie of Sophonisba'' (London: Printed by J. Windet, 1606). * ''What You Will'' (London: Printed by G. Eld for T. Thorppe, 1607). * ''Histrio-mastix: Or, The Player Whipt'' (London: Printed by G. Eld for T. Thorp, 1610). * ''The Insatiate Countesse'', by Marston and
William Barksted William Barksted ( fl. 1611) was an English actor and poet. Biography William Barksted in 1609 performed in Ben Jonson's ''Epicene'', and in 1613 in Beaumont and Fletcher's ''Coxcomb''. When he performed in ''Epicene'' he was of the company " ...
(London: Printed by T. Snodham for T. Archer, 1613). * ''The Workes of Mr. J. Marston'' (London: Printed by A. Mathewes for W. Sheares, 1633); republished as ''Tragedies and Comedies'' (London: Printed by A. Mathewes for W. Sheares, 1633). * ''Comedies, Tragi-comedies; & Tragedies'', Nonce Collection (London, 1652). * ''Lust's Dominion, or The Lascivious Queen'' (presumably the same play as The Spanish Moor's Tragedy), by Marston, Thomas Dekker, John Day, and William Haughton (London: Printed for F. K. & sold by Robert Pollard, 1657).


Notes


References

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External links

* * *
The Works of John Marston, vol. 1.
' A. H. Bullen, ed. at Google Books *
The Works of John Marston, vol. 2.
' *
The Works of John Marston, vol. 3.
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Marston, John 1576 births 1634 deaths 17th-century English poets 17th-century English male writers Marstons, John English Renaissance dramatists Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple 16th-century English poets 16th-century English dramatists and playwrights 17th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights English male poets