Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. His finely plotted plays, including ''

A New Way to Pay Old Debts ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'' (c. 1625, printed 1633) is an English Renaissance theatre, English Renaissance drama, the most popular play by Philip Massinger. Its central character, Sir Giles Over-reach, became one of the more popular villains ...

'', ''

The City Madam ''The City Madam'' is a Caroline era comedy written by Philip Massinger. It was licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 25 May 1632 and was acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre. It was printed in quarto in 165 ...

'', and '' The Roman Actor'', are noted for their

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 ...

and

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

, and their political and social themes.

Early life

The son of Arthur Massinger or Messanger, he was baptised at St. Thomas's

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

on 24 November 1583. He apparently belonged to an old Salisbury family, for the name occurs in the city records as early as 1415. He is described in his matriculation entry at St. Alban Hall,

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 ...

(1602), as the son of a gentleman. His father, who had also been educated at St. Alban Hall, was a member of parliament, and was attached to the household of

Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, KG, KB (in or after 153819 January 1601) was a Welsh nobleman, peer and politician of the Elizabethan era. He was the nephew of Catherine Parr, and brother-in-law of Lady Jane Grey, through his first wife ...

. Herbert recommended Arthur in 1587 for the office of examiner in the Court of the Marches. William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, who would come to oversee the London Stage and the royal company as King James's Lord Chamberlain, succeeded to the title in 1601. It has been suggested that he supported Massinger at Oxford, but the omission of any reference to him in any of Massinger's prefaces points to the contrary. Massinger left Oxford without a degree in 1606. His father had died in 1603, and that may have left him without financial assistance. The lack of a degree and the want of patronage from Lord Pembroke may both be explained on the supposition that he had become

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. On leaving the university he went to London to make his living as a dramatist, but his name cannot be definitely affixed to any play until fifteen years later, when ''

The Virgin Martyr ''The Virgin Martyr'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by Thomas Dekker and Philip Massinger, and first published in 1622. It constitutes a rare instance in Massinger's canon in which he collaborated with a member of the previous ...

'' (registered with the Stationers Company, 7 December 1621) appeared as the work of Massinger and Thomas Dekker.

First plays

During these years he worked in collaboration with other dramatists. A joint letter, from

Nathan Field Nathan Field (also spelled Feild occasionally; 17 October 1587 – 1620) was an English dramatist and actor. Life His father was the Puritan preacher John Field, and his brother Theophilus Field became the Bishop of Llandaff. One of his brothe ...

Robert Daborne Robert Daborne (c. 1580 – 23 March 1628) was an English dramatist of the Jacobean era. His father was also Robert Daborne, heir to family property in Guildford, Surrey and other places, including London, and a wealthy haberdasher by trade ...

and Philip Massinger, to

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 ...

, begs for an immediate loan of five pounds to release them from their "unfortunate extremity," the money to be taken from the balance due for the "play of Mr. Fletcher's and ours." A second document shows that Massinger and Daborne owed Henslowe £3 on 4 July 1615. The earlier note probably dates from 1613, and from this time Massinger apparently worked regularly with John Fletcher. Sir Aston Cockayne, Massinger's constant friend and patron, refers in explicit terms to this collaboration in a sonnet addressed to

Humphrey Moseley Humphrey Moseley (died 31 January 1661) was a prominent London publisher and bookseller in the middle seventeenth century. Life Possibly a son of publisher Samuel Moseley, Humphrey Moseley became a "freeman" (a full member) of the Stationers C ...

on the publication of his folio edition of Beaumont and Fletcher (''Small Poems of Divers Sorts'', 1658), and in an epitaph on the two poets he says: "Plays they did write together, were great friends, And now one grave includes them in their ends."

Massinger and the King's Men

After Philip Henslowe's death in 1616 Massinger and Fletcher began to write for the King's Men. Between 1623 and 1626 Massinger produced unaided for the

Lady Elizabeth's Men The Lady Elizabeth's Men, or Princess Elizabeth's Men, was a company of actors in Jacobean London, formed under the patronage of King James I's daughter Princess Elizabeth. From 1618 on, the company was called The Queen of Bohemia's Men, afte ...

, then playing at the

Cockpit Theatre The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

, three pieces, ''

The Parliament of Love ''The Parliament of Love'' is a late Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Philip Massinger. The play was never printed in the seventeenth century, and survived only in a defective manuscript – making it arguably the most problematical ...

'', ''

The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...

'' and ''

The Renegado ''The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and first published in 1630. The play has attracted critical attention for its treatment of cultural conflict between Christia ...

''. With the exception of these plays and ''

The Great Duke of Florence ''The Great Duke of Florence'' is an early Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, and first published in 1636. It has been called "one of Massinger's best dramas," and "a masterpiece of dramatic construction." A pla ...

'', produced in 1627 by

Queen Henrietta's Men Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era in London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men. Beginnings The company ...

, Massinger continued to write regularly for the King's Men until his death. The tone of the dedications of his later plays affords evidence of his continued poverty. In the preface to ''

The Maid of Honour ''The Maid of Honour'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1632. It may be Massinger's earliest extant solo work. Performance Firm data on the play's date of authorship and initial t ...

'' (1632) he wrote, addressing Sir Francis Foljambe and Sir Thomas Bland: "I had not to this time subsisted, but that I was supported by your frequent courtesies and favours." The prologue to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' (licensed 1633) refers to two unsuccessful plays and two years of silence, when the author feared he had lost the popular favour. It is probable that this break in his production was owing to his free handling of political matters. In 1631, Sir Henry Herbert, the

Master of the Revels The Master of the Revels was the holder of a position within the English, and later the British, royal household, heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels". The Master of the Revels was an executive officer under the Lord Chamberlain. ...

, refused to license an unnamed play by Massinger because of "dangerous matter as the deposing of Sebastian, King of Portugal," calculated presumably to endanger good relations between England and Spain. There is little doubt that this was the same piece as ''

Believe as You List ''Believe as You List'' is a Caroline era tragedy by Philip Massinger, famous as a case of theatrical censorship. Censorship The play originally dealt with the legend that Sebastian of Portugal had survived the battle of Alcácer Quibir, and the ...

'', in which time and place are changed, Antiochus being substituted for Sebastian, and Rome for Spain. In the prologue, Massinger ironically apologises for his ignorance of history, and professes that his accuracy is at fault if his picture comes near "a late and sad example." The obvious "late and sad example" of a wandering prince could be no other than

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

's brother-in-law, the Elector Palatine. An allusion to the same subject may be traced in ''The Maid of Honour''. In another play by Massinger, not extant, Charles I is reported to have himself struck out a passage put into the mouth of Don Pedro, king of Spain, as "too insolent." The poet seems to have adhered closely to the politics of his patron, Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, who had leanings to democracy and was a personal enemy of the Duke of Buckingham. The servility towards the Crown displayed in

Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their joi ...

's plays reflected the temper of the court of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

. The attitude of Massinger's heroes and heroines towards kings is very different. Camiola's remarks on the limitations of the royal prerogative (''Maid of Honour'', Act V, Scene v) could hardly be acceptable at court.

Death

Massinger died suddenly at his house near the Globe Theatre, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Saviour's,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, on 18 March 1640. In the entry in the parish register he is described as a "stranger", which, however, implies nothing more than that he belonged to another parish. He is buried in the same tomb as Fletcher. That grave can be seen to this day in the chancel of what is now

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

near London Bridge on the south bank of the Thames. There the names of Fletcher and Massinger appear on adjacent plaques laid in the floor between the choir stalls. Next to these is a plaque commemorating

Edmund Shakespeare Edmund Shakespeare (1580 in Stratford-upon-Avon – buried 31 December 1607 in London) was a 16th- and 17th-century English actor, and the brother of William Shakespeare. Life He was the youngest child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden and t ...

(William's younger brother) who is buried in the cathedral, although the exact location of his grave is unknown.

Religion and politics

The supposition that Massinger was a

rests upon three of his plays, ''The Virgin Martyr'' (licensed 1620), ''The Renegado'' (licensed 1624) and ''The Maid of Honour'' (c. 1621). ''The Virgin Martyr'', in which Dekker probably had a large share, is really a miracle play, dealing with the martyrdom of Dorothea in the time of

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, and the supernatural element is freely used. Caution must be used in interpreting this play as an elucidation of Massinger's views; it is not entirely his work. In ''The Renegado'', however, the action is dominated by the beneficent influence of a Jesuit priest, Francisco, and the doctrine of baptismal regeneration is enforced. In ''The Maid of Honour'' a complicated situation is solved by the decision of the heroine, Camiola, to take the veil. For this she is held up "to all posterity a fair example for noble maids to imitate." Conversely, characters in Massinger's plays sometimes masquerade as Catholic clergy ('' The Bashful Lover'') and even hear believers' confessions ('' The Emperor of the East'')—a violation of a sacrament that would be surprising for a Catholic. As noted above, Massinger placed moral and religious concerns over political considerations, in ways that offended the interests of king and state in his generation. While not a "democrat" in any modern sense (no one in his society was), Massinger's political sympathies, insofar as we can determine them from his works, might have placed him in a predicament similar to that of the head of the house he revered, the Earl of Pembroke—who found that he could not support King Charles in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, and became one of the few noblemen to back the Parliamentary side. Massinger did not live long enough to have to take a position in that conflict.

Style and influence

It seems doubtful whether Massinger was ever a popular playwright, for the best qualities of his plays would appeal rather to politicians and moralists than to the ordinary playgoer. He contributed, however, at least one great and popular character to the English stage. Sir Giles Overreach, in ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', is a sort of commercial

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

, a compound of the lion and the fox, and the part provides many opportunities for a great actor. He made another considerable contribution to the comedy of manners in ''

''. In Massinger's own judgment ''The Roman Actor'' was "the most perfect birth of his Minerva." It is a study of the tyrant

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

, and of the results of despotic rule on the despot himself and his court. Other favourable examples of his grave and restrained art are ''The Duke of Milan'', ''The Bondman'' and ''The Great Duke of Florence''. For an examination of William Shakespeare's influence on Massinger, see T. S. Eliot's essay on Massinger. It includes the famous line, "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal...." In 2021, ''Making Massinger'', a play by Simon Butteriss, was recorded and streamed by Wiltshire Creative, who commissioned it. The play is in verse and described as a revenge tragicomedy. The cast includes Samuel Barnett, Edward Bennett, Hubert Burton, Julia Hills, Jane How and Nina Wadia.

Canon of Massinger's works

The following scheme is based on the work of

Cyrus Hoy Cyrus Henry Hoy (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2010) was an American literary scholar of the English Renaissance stage who taught at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, and was the John B. Trevor Professor of English (emerit ...

, Ian Fletcher, and Terence P. Logan. (See References.)

Solo plays

*''

'',

tragicomedy Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragedy, tragic and comedy, comic forms. Most often seen in drama, dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the ov ...

(c. 1621; printed 1632) *''

The Duke of Milan ''The Duke of Milan'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by Philip Massinger. First published in 1623, the play is generally considered among the author's finest achievements in drama. Performance Massinger's play was first perform ...

'', tragedy (c. 1621–3; printed 1623, 1638) *''

The Unnatural Combat ''The Unnatural Combat'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by Philip Massinger, and first published in 1639. No hard data on the play's date of origin or initial theatrical production has survived. Scholars estimate a date in the ...

'', tragedy (c. 1621–6; printed 1639) *''

'', tragicomedy (licensed 3 December 1623; printed 1624) *''

'', tragicomedy (licensed 17 April 1624; printed 1630) *''

'', comedy (licensed 3 November 1624; MS) *''

,'' comedy (c. 1625; printed 1632) *'' The Roman Actor'', tragedy (licensed 11 October 1626; printed 1629) *''

'', tragicomedy (licensed 5 July 1627; printed 1636) *'' The Picture'', tragicomedy (licensed 8 June 1629; printed 1630) *'' The Emperor of the East'', tragicomedy (licensed 11 March 1631; printed 1632) *''

'', tragedy (rejected by the censor in January, but licensed 6 May 1631; MS) *''

'', comedy (licensed 25 May 1632; printed 1658) *''

'', comedy (licensed 31 October 1633; printed 1655) *'' The Bashful Lover'', tragicomedy (licensed 9 May 1636; printed 1655)

Collaborations

With John Fletcher: *''

Sir John van Olden Barnavelt ''The Tragedy of Sir John van Olden Barnavelt'' is a Jacobean play written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger in 1619, and produced in the same year by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre. Based on controversial contemporaneous political ...

'', tragedy (August 1619; MS) *''

The Little French Lawyer ''The Little French Lawyer'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date Definite information on the play's date of au ...

'', comedy (c. 1619–23; printed 1647) *''

A Very Woman ''A Very Woman, or The Prince of Tarent'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and John Fletcher. It was first published in 1655, fifteen and thirty years after the deaths of its authors. Date ...

'', tragicomedy (c. 1619–22; licensed 6 June 1634; printed 1655) *''

The Custom of the Country ''The Custom of the Country'' is a 1913 tragicomedy of manners novel by the American author Edith Wharton. It tells the story of Undine Spragg, a Midwestern girl who attempts to ascend in New York City society. Plot summary The Spraggs, a famil ...

'', comedy (c. 1619–23; printed 1647) *''

The Double Marriage ''The Double Marriage'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, and initially printed in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date and performance Though firm evidence on the play's date ...

'', tragedy (c. 1619–23; Printed 1647) *''

The False One ''The False One'' is a late Jacobean stage play by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, though formerly placed in the Beaumont and Fletcher canon. It was first published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. This classical history ...

'', history (c. 1619–23; printed 1647) *'' The Prophetess'', tragicomedy (licensed 14 May 1622; printed 1647) *''

The Sea Voyage ''The Sea Voyage'' is a late Jacobean comedy written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. The play is notable for its imitation of Shakespeare's '' The Tempest.'' Performance and publication ''The Sea Voyage'' was licensed for performance ...

'', comedy (licensed 22 June 1622; printed 1647) *''

The Spanish Curate ''The Spanish Curate'' is a late Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. It premiered on the stage in 1622, and was first published in 1647. Date and source The play was licensed for production by Sir ...

'', comedy (licensed 24 October 1622; printed 1647) *''

The Lovers' Progress ''The Lovers' Progress,'' also known as ''The Wandering Lovers,'' or ''Cleander,'' or ''Lisander and Calista,'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a tragicomedy written by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. As its multiple titles indic ...

'' or ''The Wandering Lovers'', tragicomedy (licensed 6 December 1623; revised 1634; printed 1647) *'' The Elder Brother'', comedy (c. 1625; printed 1637). With John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont: *''

Thierry and Theodoret ''Thierry and Theodoret'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators that was first published in 1621. It is one of the problematic plays of Fletcher's oeuvre; as with ''Love's Cure,'' there are ...

'', tragedy (c. 1607?; printed 1621) *''

The Coxcomb ''The Coxcomb'' is an early Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date and performance Scholars date the play to c. 1608 ...

'', comedy (1608–10; printed 1647) *''

Beggars' Bush ''Beggars' Bush'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators that is a focus of dispute among scholars and critics. Authorship The authorship and the date of the play have long been debated by ...

'', comedy (c. 1612–15?; revised 1622?; printed 1647) *''

Love's Cure ''Love's Cure, or The Martial Maid'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a comedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. First published in the Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647, it is the subject of broad dispute and un ...

'', comedy (c. 1612–15?; revised 1625?; printed 1647). With John Fletcher and

: *''

The Honest Man's Fortune ''The Honest Man's Fortune'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Nathan Field, John Fletcher, and Philip Massinger. It was apparently the earliest of the works produced by this trio of writers, the others being ''The Queen of ...

'', tragicomedy (1613; printed 1647) *''

The Queen of Corinth ''The Queen of Corinth'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date Scholars have dated the play to the 1 ...

'', tragicomedy (c. 1616–18; printed 1647) *''

The Knight of Malta ''The Knight of Malta'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date and source No firm information is avai ...

'', tragicomedy (c. 1619; printed 1647). With Nathan Field: *''

The Fatal Dowry ''The Fatal Dowry'' is a late Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by Philip Massinger and Nathan Field, and first published in 1632. It represents a significant aspect of Field's very limited dramatic output. Though hard evidence is lac ...

'', tragedy (c. 1619, printed 1632); adapted by Nicholas Rowe: ''

The Fair Penitent ''The Fair Penitent'' is Nicholas Rowe's stage adaptation of the tragedy ''The Fatal Dowry,'' the Philip Massinger and Nathan Field collaboration first published in 1632. Rowe's adaptation, premiered onstage in 1702 and first published in 1703, ...

'' With John Fletcher,

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, and

William Rowley William Rowley (c. 1585 – February 1626) was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626 in ...

(?), or

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...

(?): *''

The Fair Maid of the Inn ''The Fair Maid of the Inn'' is an early 17th-century stage play. A comedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators, it was originally published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Uncertainties of the play's date, auth ...

'', comedy (licensed 22 January 1626; printed 1647). With John Fletcher,

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 ...

, 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 ...

(?): *''

Rollo Duke of Normandy ''Rollo Duke of Normandy'', also known as ''The Bloody Brother'', is a play written in collaboration by John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, Ben Jonson and George Chapman. The title character is the historical Viking duke of Normandy, Rollo (lived ...

, or The Bloody Brother'', tragedy (c. 1616–24; printed 1639). With Thomas Dekker: *''

'', tragedy (licensed 6 October 1620; printed 1622). With

Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...

and

: *''

The Old Law ''The Old Law, or A New Way to Please You'' is a seventeenth-century tragicomedy written by Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, and Philip Massinger. It was first published in 1656, but is generally thought to have been written about four decades e ...

'', comedy (c. 1615–18; printed 1656). Some of these "collaborations" are in fact more complex: revisions by Massinger of older plays by Fletcher and others, etc. (It is not necessary to suppose that Massinger, Fletcher, Ford, and Rowley-or-Webster sat down in a room together to write a play.) More than a dozen of Massinger's plays are said to be lost,In his edition, Gifford cites the comedies ''The Noble Choice, The Wandering Lovers, Antonio and Vallia, Fast and Welcome, The Woman's Plot,'' and ''

The Spanish Viceroy ''The Spanish Viceroy'' is a problem play of English Renaissance drama. Originally a work by Philip Massinger dating from 1624, it was controversial in its own era, and may or may not exist today in altered form. History 1624 In December 1624, ...

;'' the tragedies ''The Forced Lady, The Tyrant, Minerva's Sacrifice, The Tragedy of Cleander,'' and ''The Italian Nightpiece, or The Unfortunate Piety;'' the tragicomedy ''Philenzo and Hippolita;'' and six plays of unspecified genre, ''The Judge, The Honour of Women, The Orator, The King and the Subject, Alexius, or The Chaste Lover,'' and ''The Prisoner, or The Fair Anchoress of Pausilippo.'' though the titles of some of these may be duplicates of those of existing plays. Eleven of these lost plays were manuscripts used by John Warburton's cook for lighting fires and making pies. The tragedy ''The Jeweller of Amsterdam'' (c. 1616–19) may be a lost collaboration, with Fletcher and Field. The list given above represents a consensus of scholarship; individual critics have assigned various other plays, or portions of plays, to Massinger—like ''

The Faithful Friends ''The Faithful Friends'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a tragicomedy associated with the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. Never printed in its own century, the play is one of the most disputed works in English Renai ...

,'' or the first two acts of ''

The Second Maiden's Tragedy ''The Second Maiden's Tragedy'' is a Jacobean play that survives only in manuscript. It was written in 1611, and performed in the same year by the King's Men. The manuscript was acquired, but never printed, by the publisher Humphrey Moseley af ...

'' (1611). Massinger's independent works were collected by

Thomas Coxeter Thomas Coxeter (1689–1747) was an English literary antiquary. Life Born at Lechlade in Gloucestershire on 20 September 1689, he was educated at Coxwell, Berkshire, and at Magdalen School in Oxford. On 7 July 1705 he was entered a commoner of ...

(4 vols., 1759, revised edition with introduction by Thomas Davies, 1779), by J. Monck Mason (4 vols., 1779), by

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 ...

(4 vols., 1805, 1813), by

Hartley Coleridge Hartley Coleridge, possibly David Hartley Coleridge (19 September 1796 – 6 January 1849), was an English poet, biographer, essayist, and teacher. He was the eldest son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His sister Sara Coleridge was a poet a ...

(1840), by Lt. Col. Cunningham (1867), and selections by Arthur Symons in the Mermaid Series (1887–1889). Subsequent work on Massinger includes Philip Edwards and Colin Gibson, eds., ''The Plays and Poems of Philip Massinger'' (5 vols., Oxford, 1976), Martin Garrett, ed., ''Massinger: the Critical Heritage'' (London, 1991), chapters in Annabel Patterson, ''Censorship and Interpretation: the Conditions of Writing and Reading in Early Modern England'' (Madison, 1984) and Martin Butler, ''Theatre and Crisis 1632–1642'' (Cambridge, 1984), and Martin Garrett, "Philip Massinger" in the revised ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, 2005).

Notes

References

*Francis Cunningham (Ed.): ''

: The plays of Philip Massinger; From the text of William Gifford. With the addition of the tragedy "Believe as you list" ed. by Francis Cunningham''. London: Chatto and Windus, ca. 1887. *Alfred Jean-François Mézières: ''Contemporains et successeurs de Shakespeare''. 5. rev. a. corr. Ed. Paris: Hachette, 1913. *James Phelan: ''On Philip Massinger''. (in Vol. 2 of '' Anglia: Zeitschrift für englische Philologie''), Halle 1879 (Leipzig: Univ., Diss., 1878). *Irmgard Röhricht: ''Das Idealbild der Frau bei Philip Massinger''. Munich: Piloty & Loehle, 1920. *Cyrus Hoy: ''The Shares of Fletcher and His Collaborators in the Beaumont and Fletcher Canon''. ''Studies in Bibliography'', 1956–62. *Samuel A. and Dorothy R. Tannenbaum: ''Philip Massinger. Michel de Montaigne. Anthony Mundy. Thomas Nashe. George Peele. Thomas Randolph''. (Elizabethan bibliographies; Vol. 6). Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1967. *Ian Fletcher: ''Beaumont and Fletcher''. London: Longmans, Green, 1967. *Naomi Conn Liebler: ''Philip Massinger's The Roman actor and the idea of the play within a play''. Stony Brook, State Univ. of New York, Diss., 1976. *Philip Edwards and Colin Gibson (Hrsg.): ''The plays and poems of Philip Massinger''. London: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1976. *Terence P.Logan: ''Philip Massinger''. In: Terence P. Logan and Denzell S. Smith, eds., ''The Later Jacobean and Caroline Dramatists: A Survey and Bibliography of Recent Studies in English Renaissance Drama''. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1978. *Colin Gibson (Ed.): ''The selected plays of Philip Massinger: The Duke of Milan; The Roman actor; A new way to pay old debts; The city madam''. (Plays by Renaissance and Restoration dramatists). Cambridge .a. Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1978. ;. *Martin Garrett: ''Philip Massinger's attitude to spectacle''. (Jacobean drama studies; 72). 1984. *Douglas Howard (Ed.): ''Philip Massinger: a crit. reassessment''. Cambridge .a. Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1985. . *Doris Adler: ''Philip Massinger''. (Twayne's English authors series; 435) Boston: Twayne, 1987. . *Martin Garrett (Ed.): ''Massinger: the critical heritage''. London .o. Routledge, 1991. . *Lawless, Donald S
''Philip Massinger and his Associates''
Ball State University monograph, 1967 *Lawless, Donald S
''The Poems of Philip Massinger''
Ball State University monograph, 1968 *T.S. Eliot, "Philip Massinger" (1920), available abridged in 'Selected Prose of T.S. Eliot' at 153 (Frank Kermode, ed.) Harcourt Brace 1975. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Massinger, Philip 1583 births 1640 deaths Alumni of St Alban Hall, Oxford English Renaissance dramatists Burials at Southwark Cathedral 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights