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Robert Greene (1558–1592) was an English author popular in his day, and now best known for a posthumous
pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
attributed to him, '' Greene's Groats-Worth of Witte, bought with a million of Repentance'', widely believed to contain an attack on
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 ...
. Robert Greene was a popular Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer known for his negative critiques of his colleagues. He is said to have been born in
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
. He attended
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
where he received a BA in 1580, and an M.A. in 1583 before moving to London, where he arguably became the first professional author in England. Greene was prolific and published in many genres including romances, plays and autobiography.


Family

According to the author Brenda Richardson, the "chief problem" in compiling a biography of Robert Greene was his name. ''Robert'' was one of the most popular given names of the era and ''Greene'' was a common surname. L. H. Newcomb suggests that Robert Greene "was probably the Robert Greene, son of Robert Greene, baptized on 11 July 1558 at St George's, Tombland, Norwich."
Greene later described himself as from Norwich on his title-pages, and the year is appropriate for the Robert Greene who enrolled 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 ...
, as a sizar on 26 November 1575. The author's father was probably one of two Robert Greenes found later in parish records: either a saddler who lived modestly in the parish until 1599, or a
cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...
who kept an inn in Norwich from the late 1570s until his death in 1591. The saddler appeals to biographers who attribute the writer's later low-life sympathies to a humble birth; the innkeeper, a more prosperous man possibly related to landowners, interests scholars who note the social ambitions of Greene's early works.
Both the Norwich cordwainer-turned-innkeeper and the Norwich saddler left wills, proved in 1591 and 1596 respectively, but neither will mentioned a son named Robert. However, Greene himself implied that he had been disinherited by his father.


Career

Greene is thought to have attended the
Norwich Grammar School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 ...
, although this cannot be confirmed as enrolment documents for the relevant years are lost.
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th centur ...
, provided scholarships for students from the Norwich grammar school, and for this reason, Greene's matriculation as a sizar 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 ...
, has been considered "strange". A reason offered for Greene's enrolment at St John's is that some of the gentry of South Yorkshire attended St John's, and among the dedicatees of, or authors of commendatory verses for Greene's books were members of the Darcy, Portington, Lee, Stapleton, and Rogers families, all centred at
Snaith Snaith is a market town and parish in the civil parish of Snaith and Cowick in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town is close to the River Aire and the M62 and M18 motorways. The town is located west of Goole, east of Knottingl ...
, Yorkshire; according to Richardson, the Robert Greene from Norwich who was an innkeeper may have been an immigrant from Yorkshire connected to 'a large family of Greenes' who lived in the parish of
Snaith Snaith is a market town and parish in the civil parish of Snaith and Cowick in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town is close to the River Aire and the M62 and M18 motorways. The town is located west of Goole, east of Knottingl ...
, and may actually have left Norwich to reside at Snaith from 1571 to 1577. There is no record of Greene's having taken part in the dramatic productions at Cambridge in 1579 and 1580, although 18 of his classmates and Fellows of the Cambridge colleges acted in ''Hymenaeus'', and 46 in ''
Richardus Tertius '' Richardus Tertius'' is a play written in Latin about King Richard III by Thomas Legge. The play was acted by the students of St. John's College, Cambridge in 1579. It was possibly seen by two of the University Wits in Cambridge at the time: C ...
''. His academic performance as an undergraduate at Cambridge was mediocre; on 22 January 1580, he took his BA, graduating 38th out of 41 students in his college, and 115th out of the total university graduating class that year of 205 students. He "apparently transferred to
Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...
for his 1583 MA", where he placed 5th out of 12 students in his college, and 29th of the 129 students at the university. It was "rare for a student to migrate to another college (as Greene did) after he had received the baccalaureate", and no record of Greene's transfer to Clare College has been discovered, nor does his name appear in the Clare Hall Buttery Book for 1580–84. Greene's claim to association with Clare College is found in the second part of ''Mamillia'', which was not published until 1593, after Greene's death, in which the dedicatory epistle to Robert Lee and Roger Portington is signed "Robert Greene. From my Studie in Clarehall the vii. Of Julie". According to Newcomb, "Other events of reene'syouth must be derived from autobiographical remarks that may not be reliable". In ''The Repentance of Robert Greene'', written in the first person, Greene claimed to have travelled to Italy and Spain; however, no evidence of Greene's continental trip has been found, "or—unless we take merely his word for it—that he ever made the trip at all". Further doubt is cast on Greene's continental journey by Norbert Bolz, who after undertaking a computer analysis of the vocabulary of ''The Repentance'', concluded that "''The Repentance of Robert Greene'' was in fact not written by Robert Greene". In ''The Repentance'', Greene claimed to have married a gentleman's daughter, whom he abandoned after having had a child by her and spent her dowry, after which she went to
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
, and he to London. In ''Four Letters'' (1592),
Gabriel Harvey Gabriel Harvey (c. 1552/3 – 1631) was an English writer. Harvey was a notable scholar, whose reputation suffered from his quarrel with Thomas Nashe. Henry Morley, writing in the ''Fortnightly Review'' (March 1869), has argued that Harvey's L ...
prints a letter allegedly written by Greene to his wife in which he addresses her as "Doll". However, " tensive searches of London and Norwich records by successive biographers have failed finally to locate the record of Greene's marriage". After his move to London, Greene published over twenty-five works in prose in a variety of genres, becoming "England's first celebrity author". In 1588, he was granted an MA from
Oxford University 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 ...
, "almost certainly a courtesy degree". Thereafter the title pages of some of his published works bore the phrase ''Utruisq. Academiae in Artibus Magister, "Master of Arts in both Universities". Greene died 3 September 1592, (aged 34 if he was the Robert Greene baptised in 1558). His death and burial were announced by Gabriel Harvey in a letter to Christopher Bird of Saffron Walden dated 5 September, first published as a "butterfly pamphlet" about 8 September, and later expanded as ''Four Letters and Certain Sonnets'', entered in the
Stationers' Register The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including prin ...
on 4 December 1592. Harvey attributed Greene's demise to "a surfeit of pickle herring and Rhenish wine", and claimed he had been buried in "the
New Churchyard The New Churchyard was a municipal and non-parochial burial ground in London. Established in 1569, it was used for burial from 1570 until 1739, by which date approximately 25,000 interments were estimated to have taken place. It was created to ...
near
Bedlam Bedlam, a word for an environment of insanity, is a term that may refer to: Places * Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England * Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet in England * Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London psychiatric institution and the ...
" on 4 September. No record of Greene's burial has been found. According to ''The Repentance of Robert Greene'', Greene is alleged to have written ''Groatsworth'' during the month prior to his death, including in it a letter to his wife asking her to forgive him and stating that he was sending their son to her. No record of Greene's son by his wife has been found; however, in ''Four Letters'',
Gabriel Harvey Gabriel Harvey (c. 1552/3 – 1631) was an English writer. Harvey was a notable scholar, whose reputation suffered from his quarrel with Thomas Nashe. Henry Morley, writing in the ''Fortnightly Review'' (March 1869), has argued that Harvey's L ...
claimed that Greene kept a mistress, Em, the sister of a criminal known as "
Cutting Ball "Cutting" Ball was a notorious criminal during the Elizabethan Age. (His name came from a "cutpurse", a thief.) Thomas Nashe mentions a ballad written about him, which does not survive. His sister, Em, or Emma, was a prostitute, "a sorry ragged ...
" hanged at
Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and sout ...
. Harvey described her as "a sorry ragged quean of whom reenehad his base son Infortunatus Greene". According to Newcomb, a Fortunatus Greene was buried at
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...
on 12 August 1593, "whose folk-tale name might lie behind Harvey's jest".


Writing

According to Newcomb, ' reene'sworks evince an inexhaustible linguistic facility, grounded in wide (if not painstaking) reading in the classics, and extra-curricular reading in the modern continental languages'. He wrote prolifically: From 1583 to 1592, he published more than twenty-five works in prose, becoming one of the first authors in England to support himself with his pen in an age when professional authorship was virtually unknown. Greene's literary career began with the publication of a long romance, ''Mamillia'', entered in the
Stationers' Register The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including prin ...
on 3 October 1580. Greene's romances were written in a highly wrought style which reached its highest level in ''
Pandosto ''Pandosto: The Triumph of Time'' is a prose romance written by the English author Robert Greene, first published in 1588. A later edition of 1607 was re-titled ''Dorastus and Fawnia''. Popular during the time of William Shakespeare, the work's ...
'' (1588) and ''Menaphon'' (1589). Short poems and songs incorporated in some of the romances attest to his ability as a lyric poet. One song from ''Menaphon'', ''Weep not my wanton, smile upon my knee'', (a mother's lullaby to her baby son), enjoyed immense success and is now probably his best-known work. In his later " coney-catching" pamphlets, Greene fashioned himself into a well-known public figure, telling colourful inside stories of
rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...
s and rascals duping young gentlemen and solid citizens out of their hard-earned money. These stories, told from the perspective of a repentant former rascal, have been considered autobiographical, and have been thought to incorporate many facts of Greene's own life thinly veiled as fiction: his early riotous living, his marriage and desertion of his wife and child for the sister of a notorious character of the London underworld, his dealings with players, and his success in the production of plays for them. However, according to Newcomb, in his later prose works "Greene himself built his persona around a myth of prodigal decline that cannot be taken at face value". His plays earned himself the title as one of the " University Wits", including John Lyly,
George Peele George Peele (baptised 25 July 1556 – buried 9 November 1596) was an English translator, poet, and dramatist, who is most noted for his supposed but not universally accepted collaboration with William Shakespeare on the play '' Titus Andronicu ...
, Thomas Nashe, and
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon t ...
. Richardson makes a similar argument, concluding that Greene's later works 'prejudice the examination of all the work before them', and that the prose works prior to the coney-catching and repentance pamphlets establish that 'initially at least Greene was respectable'. Richardson considers that Greene:
claimed from the outset a moral or civilizing purpose in his writing. His tales repeatedly illustrate the disastrous disruptions caused in life by passion and laud the life of restraint. His views are basically conservative ... He equivocates and hesitates over the defence of the values of a conservative culture, virginity, true devotion, strict moral probity.
In addition to his prose works, Greene also wrote several plays, none of them published in his lifetime, including ''The Scottish History of James IV'', ''Alphonsus'', and his greatest popular success, '' Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay'', as well as ''Orlando Furioso'', based on
Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...
's ''
Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was ...
''. In addition to the plays published under his name after his death, Greene has been proposed as the author of several other dramas, including a second part to ''Friar Bacon'' which may survive as '' John of Bordeaux'', ''
The Troublesome Reign of King John ''The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England'', commonly called ''The Troublesome Reign of King John'' (c. 1589) is an Elizabethan history play, probably by George Peele, that is generally accepted by scholars as the source and model that Wi ...
'', ''George a Greene'', ''
Fair Em ''Fair Em, the Miller's Daughter of Manchester,'' is an Elizabethan-era stage play, a comedy written c. 1590. It was bound together with '' Mucedorus'' and ''The Merry Devil of Edmonton'' in a volume labelled "Shakespeare. Vol. I" in the library o ...
'', '' A Knack to Know a Knave'', ''
Locrine ''Locrine'' is an Elizabethan play depicting the legendary Trojan founders of the nation of England and of Troynovant ( London). The play presents a cluster of complex and unresolved problems for scholars of English Renaissance theatre. Date ...
'', '' Selimus'', and ''
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
'', and even Shakespeare's ''
Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...
'' and Henry VI plays. Authorship attribution specialist Darren Freebury-Jones has provided the most exhaustive examination of Greene's dramatic canon, concluding that Greene is the most likely author of ''Locrine'' and that he co-authored ''Selimus''.


Greene and Shakespeare

Greene is most familiar to Shakespeare scholars for his pamphlet ''Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit'', which alludes to a line, "O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide", found in Shakespeare's '' Henry VI, Part 3'' ( 1591–92): Greene evidently complains of an actor who believes he can write as well as university-educated playwrights, alludes to the actor with a quotation that appears in both the ''True Tragedy'' quarto and Shakespeare's Folio version of '' Henry VI, Part 3'', and uses the term "Shake-scene", a unique term never used before or after Greene's screed, to refer to the actor. The ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'' notes that it is "Of uncertain or vague meaning: used by Greene in his attack on Shakespeare". Some scholars have hypothesized that all or part of ''Groatsworth'' was written shortly after Greene's death by
Henry Chettle Henry Chettle (c. 1564 – c. 1606) was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era, best known for his pamphleteering. Early life The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a ...
or another one of his fellow writers, hoping to capitalise on a lurid tale of death-bed repentance. Hanspeter Born argues that Greene wrote the whole of ''Groatsworth'', and that his deathbed attack on the "upstart Crow" was provoked by Shakespeare's interference with a play attributed to Greene, ''A Knack to Know a Knave''. Greene's colourful and irresponsible character has led some, including Stephen Greenblatt, to speculate that Greene may have served as the model for Shakespeare's Falstaff. His quotation has also been used as the title for the 2016 sitcom '' Upstart Crow'' on Shakespeare's life, written by Ben Elton, its story commencing in 1592 (the year the quotation was written) and featuring Greene as a character (played by
Mark Heap Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including, ''Brass Eye'', '' Big Train'', ''Spaced'', ''Jam'', ''Green Wing'', ''Friday Night Dinner'', ''Upstart Crow'' and ''Ben ...
).


Some Prose works

*''Mamillia: A Mirror or Looking-glass for the Ladies of England'' (1583), dedicated to Lord Darcy of the North *''Mamillia: The Second Part of the Triumph of Pallas'' (1593), dedicated to Robert Lee and Roger Portington *''The Anatomy of Lovers' Flatteries'' (1584), dedicated to Mary Rogers, wife to Master Hugh Rogers of Everton *''The Myrrour of Modestie'' (1584), dedicated to Margaret, Countess of Derby *''Arbasto; The Anatomy of Fortune'' (1584), dedicated to
Lady Mary Talbot The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Info ...
*''Gwydonius; The Card of Fancy'' (1584), dedicated to
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron o ...
*''The Debate Between Folly and Love'' (1584), no dedicatee *''The Second Part of the Tritameron of Love'' (1587), no dedicatee *''Planetomachia'' (1585), dedicated to
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was o ...
*''An Oration or Funeral Sermon'' (1585), no dedicatee *''Morando; The Tritameron of Love'' (1587), dedicated to
Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (28 June 155719 October 1595) was an English nobleman. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970, as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He is variously numbered as 1st, 20th or 13th Earl of Arun ...
*''Morando; The Second Part of the Tritameron of Love'' (1587), no dedicatee *''Euphues: His Censure to Philautus'' (1587), dedicated to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex *''Greene's Farewell to Folly'' (1591), dedicated to Robert Carey, esquire *''Penelope's Web'' (1587?), dedicated to Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, and Anne, Countess of Warwick *''Alcida; Greene's Metamorphosis'' (1617), dedicated to Sir Charles Blount *''Greenes Orpharion'' (1599), dedicated to Robert Carey, esquire *''
Pandosto ''Pandosto: The Triumph of Time'' is a prose romance written by the English author Robert Greene, first published in 1588. A later edition of 1607 was re-titled ''Dorastus and Fawnia''. Popular during the time of William Shakespeare, the work's ...
'' (1588), dedicated to
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton, (8 August 155830 October 1605), was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his j ...
*''Perimedes'' (1588), dedicated to Gervase Clifton, esquire *''Ciceronis Amor'' (1589), dedicated to Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange
''Menaphon''
(1587), dedicated to Lady Hales, wife to the late deceased Sir James Hales *''The Spanish Masquerado'' (1589), dedicated to Hugh Offley, Sheriff of the City of London *''Greene's Mourning Garment'' (1590), dedicated to
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton, (8 August 155830 October 1605), was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his j ...
*''Greene's Never Too Late'' (1590), dedicated to Thomas Burnaby, esquire *''Francesco's Fortunes, or The Second Part of Greene's Never Too Late'' (1590), dedicated to Thomas Burnaby, esquire *''Greene's Vision, Written at the Instant of his Death'' (1590?), dedicated to Nicholas Saunder of Ewell, esquire *''The Royal Exchange''* (1590), dedicated to Sir John Hart,
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
*''A Notable Discovery of Coosnage'' (1591), no dedicatee *''The Second Part of Conycatching'' (1591), no dedicatee *''The Black Books Messenger'' (1592), no dedicatee *''A Disputation Between a Hee Conny-Catcher and a Shee Conny-Catcher'' (1592), no dedicatee *''A Groatsworth of Wit Bought with a Million of Repentance'' (1592), no dedicatee *''Philomela'' (1592), Bridget Radcliffe, Lady Fitzwalter (wife of
Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex, KG (12 June 1573 – 22 September 1629) was an English peer. Life He was the only son of Henry Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Sussex and his wife Honora Pounde, and was known as Viscount Fitzwalter from 1583 until ...
) *''A Quip for an Upstart Courtier'' (1592), Thomas Burnaby, esquire *''The Third and Last Part of Conycatching'' (1592), no dedicatee


Verse

*''A Maiden's Dream'' (1591), dedicated to Lady Elizabeth Hatton, wife to Sir William Hatton


Plays

*'' Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay'' (circa 1590) *''The History of Orlando Furioso'' (circa 1590) *'' A Looking Glass for London and England'' (with Thomas Lodge) (circa 1590) *''The Scottish History of James the Fourth'' (circa 1590) *''The Comical History of Alphonsus, King of Aragon'' (circa 1590) *'' Selimus''Charry, Brinda
Robert Greene: Selimus
''The Literary Encyclopedia'', 25 August 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2020
(circa 1594)


In popular culture

In the Ben Elton-written sitcom, '' Upstart Crow'', he is portrayed by
Mark Heap Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including, ''Brass Eye'', '' Big Train'', ''Spaced'', ''Jam'', ''Green Wing'', ''Friday Night Dinner'', ''Upstart Crow'' and ''Ben ...
as being alive following the publication of ''Groats-Worth'' and a constant obstacle to Shakespeare's success. His most famous song ''Weep not my wanton, smile upon my knee'' is a recurring motif in the historical novel ''The Grove of Eagles'' by Winston Graham. Greene is also mentioned in the 2014 film, The Gambler.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * G.R. Hibbard, ed., ''Three Elizabethan pamphlets'' by Robert Greene; Thomas Nash; Thomas Dekker (Folcroft, PA: Folcroft Library Editions, 1972). * * * * * * * * *Baskervill, Charles Read, ed. ''Elizabethan and Stuart Plays.'' New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1934. *Crupi, Charles. ''Robert Greene'' (1986) *Dickenson, Thomas H. "Introduction" from ''The Complete Plays of Robert Greene'' (New Mermaid Edition, 1907) *Greenblatt, Stephen. ''Will in the World'' (2005) *Melnikoff, Kirk, ed.. "Robert Greene" (Ashgate, 2011) *Melnikoff, Kirk and Edward Gieskes, eds. "Writing Robert Greene: Essays on England's First Notorious Professional Writer" (Ashgate, 2008) *Logan, Terence P., and Denzell S. Smith, eds. ''The Predecessors of Shakespeare: A Survey and Bibliography of Recent Studies in English Renaissance Drama.'' Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 1973.


External links

* *
''The Dramatic Works of Robert Greene'' (1831), vol. 1
Dyce, ed., at Internet Archive.
''The Dramatic Works of Robert Greene'' (1831), vol. 2
Dyce, ed., at Google Books.
''The Plays and Poems of Robert Greene'' (1905) vol. 1
Churton Collins ed., at the Internet Archives.
''The Plays and Poems of Robert Greene'' (1905) vol. 2
Churton Collins ed., at the Internet Archives.
''The Honorable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay''
1594 text facsimile at the Internet Archives.
''The History of Orlando Furioso''
Malone Society Reprint, 1907, at Internet Archive.
''The Comical History of Alphonsus, King of Aragon''
at Elizabethan Drama.

e-text at Ex-Classics (modern spelling).

* Hayashi, Tetsumaro
Textual Study of Robert Greene's'' Orlando Furioso ''with an Elizabethan Text''
1973
''The Pamphleteers'' by James A. Oliver
(PBK) & (HBK) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Robert 1558 births 1592 deaths Writers from Norwich People educated at Norwich School English Renaissance dramatists Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 16th-century male writers 16th-century English dramatists and playwrights 16th-century English novelists English pamphleteers University Wits