1606 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1606.

Events

*January? – Sir Thomas Craig becomes church procurator.
*February – John Day's satirical play '' The Isle of Gulls'' causes a scandal which sends several of the young actors from the Children of the Chapel to prison for short periods.
*Spring – Ben Jonson's satirical play ''Volpone'' is first performed, by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre in London.
*May 27 – The English Parliament passes '' An Act to Restrain Abuses of Players'', tightening censorship controls on public theatre performances, notably in relation to profane oaths.
*August 7 – Possible first performance of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'', with Richard Burbage in the title role, amongst a series of plays presented by the King's Men before Kings James I of England and Christian IV of Denmark (his brother-in-law) at Hampton Court Palace in England.
* November 14 – Marc Lescarbot's dramatic poem '' Théâtre de Neptune'' is performed at the Habitation at Port-Royal, Nova Scotia, the first theatrical performance in North America.
*December 26 (St. Stephen's Day) – Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' is performed at Court before King James I of England. The title role is played by Richard Burbage and the Fool by Robert Armin.

New books

Prose

* Thomas Dekker
**''The Double PP''
**''News From Hell''
* Salvator Fabris – ''Lo Schermo, overo Scienza D'Arme''
*Philemon Holland – ''The Historie of Twelve Caesars'', a translation of Suetonius's '' De vita Caesarum''

Drama

*Anonymous (published)
**'' The Returne from Pernassus, or The Scourge of Simony''
**''Wily Beguiled''
*Anonymous (probably Thomas Middleton) – '' The Revenger's Tragedy''
*George Chapman
**'' Sir Giles Goosecap'' (attributed; published)
**''The Gentleman Usher'' (published)
**'' Monsieur D'Olive'' (published)
* John Day – '' The Isle of Gulls''
*Lope de Vega
**'' El anzuelo de Fenisa'' (Fenisa's Hook)
**'
**''El gran duque de Moscovia''
*Ben Jonson
**''Volpone''
**''Hymenaei''
* John Marston
**''The Wonder of Women, or the Tragedy of Sophonisba''
**''Parasitaster, or The Fawn'' (published)
*Thomas Middleton (attributed) – '' The Puritan, or, The Widow of Watling-Street'' (probable date)
*William ShakespeareScholars date completion of these plays as between 1603 and 1606.
**''Macbeth'' (possible first performance)
**''King Lear'' (first recorded performance)
* Edward Sharpham – ''The Fleir''

Poetry

*Hieronim Morsztyn – ''Światowa Rozkosz'' (Worldly Pleasure)
* Jean Passerat (posthumous) – ''Recueil des œuvres poétiques''

Births

*February 28 – William Davenant, English poet and dramatist (died 1668)
*March 3 – Edmund Waller, English poet (died 1687)
*May 12 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art historian (died 1688)
*June 6 – Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (died 1684)
*''Unknown dates''
**Pierre du Ryer, French dramatist (died 1658)
**Junije Palmotić, Ragusan dramatist and poet (died 1657)

Deaths

* May 13 ''(burial)'' – Arthur Golding, English translator (born c. 1536)
*May 17 – Niccolò Orlandini, Italian Jesuit writer (born 1554)
*May 30 – Guru Arjan, Sikh Guru and compiler of scriptures (in custody, born 1563)
*September 28 – Nicolaus Taurellus, German philosopher and theologian (born 1547)
*October 5 – Philippe Desportes, French poet (born 1546)
*November 13 – Girolamo Mercuriale, Italian philologist and medical writer (born 1530)
*November 20 ''(burial)'' – John Lyly, English dramatist, poet and novelist (born c. 1553)
*November 22 – Sir Henry Billingsley, English translator (birth year unknown)
*''Unknown date'' – Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer – Dutch cartographer (born 1533/1534)

References

{{Year in literature article categories

Years of the 17th century in literature