Arthur Brooke (died 19 March 1563) was an English poet who wrote and created various works including ''

The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet ''The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet'' is a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke, first published in 1562 by Richard Tottel, which was a key source for William Shakespeare’s ''Romeo and Juliet''. Brooke is reported to have translated it ...

'' (1562), considered to be

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 chief source for his tragedy ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' (1597).

Life

The ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' suggests that Brooke may have been a son of

Thomas Broke Thomas Broke or Brooke (fl. 1550), translator, was an alderman of Calais, the chief clerk of the exchequer and customer there at the time when the preaching of William Smith at Our Lady's Church in that town led many persons, and Broke among th ...

. Brooke was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

, at the request of ''

Gorboduc Gorboduc ('' Welsh:'' Gorwy or Goronwy) was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was married to Judon. When he became old, his sons, Ferrex and Porrex, feuded over who would take over the kingdom. Porrex tried ...

s authors,

Thomas Norton Thomas Norton (153210 March 1584) was an English lawyer, politician, writer of verse, and playwright. Official career Norton was born in London, the son of Thomas Norton and the former Elizabeth Merry. He was educated at Cambridge. He becam ...

and Thomas Sackville. He may have written the

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 masq ...

that accompanied the play. On 19 March 1563, Brooke died in the shipwreck that also killed Sir Thomas Finch, bound for

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, besieged in the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

. In 1567 George Turberville published a collection of poetry entitled, ''Epitaphs, Epigrams, Songs and Sonnets''; it included ''An Epitaph on the Death of Master Arthur Brooke Drownde in Passing to New Haven''.

''The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet''

Though ostensibly a translation from the Italian of

Bandello Matteo Bandello ( 1480 – 1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, monk, and, later, a Bishop mostly known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day. Biography Matteo Bandello wa ...

, Brooke's poem is derived from a French version by

Pierre Boaistuau Pierre Boaistuau, also known as Pierre Launay or Sieur de Launay (c. 1517, Nantes – 1566, Paris), was a French Renaissance humanist writer, author of a number of popularizing compilations and discourses on various subjects. Beside his many popu ...

. The work was published by

Richard Tottell Richard Tottel (died 1594) was an English publisher and influential member of the legal community. He ran his business from a shop located at Temple Bar on Fleet Street in London. The majority of his printing was centered on legal documents, but ...

Bernard Garter Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

published ''The Tragicall and True Historie which Happened betweene Two English Lovers'' (1565), which imitated Brooke's work in a

ballad metre Common metre or common measure—abbreviated as C. M. or CM—is a poetic metre consisting of four lines that alternate between iambic tetrameter (four metrical feet per line) and iambic trimeter (three metrical feet per line), with each foot cons ...

. A prose version of ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1567) was printed in ''The Palace of Pleasure'', a collection of tales edited by William Painter. Shakespeare stuck quite closely to the version by Brooke.

References

External links

* * Zakharov N. V
Brooke Arthur
// The World of Shakespeare : An Electronic Encyclopaedia 010 1563 deaths Year of birth unknown 16th-century English poets Arthur Accidental deaths in England Deaths due to shipwreck Deaths by drowning in the United Kingdom English male poets Romeo and Juliet {{England-poet-stub

Life

''The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet''

References

Further reading

External links