Edward Ravenscroft (c. 1654–1707) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

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 ...

who belonged to an ancient

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

family. He was entered at 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 ...

, but devoted his attention mainly to literature. Ravenscroft was the first critic to posit that Shakespeare's play ''

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 ...

'' was not originally written by him. In 1686 he revived the play at the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

, which he entitled ''Titus Andronicus, or the rape of Lavinia'', he wrote in the address "to the Reader", "I have been told by some anciently conversant with the Stage, that it was not Originally his (Shakespeare's), but brought by a private Author to be Acted and he only gave some Master-touches to one or two of the Principal Parts or Characters; this I am apt to believe, because 'tis the most incorrect and indigested piece in all his Works, It seems rather a heap of Rubbish then a Structure." This position is now known as the "Ravenscroft tradition" within literary circles. He wrote a total of twelve plays, in which he adapted freely from

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

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 natio ...

and others. He ventured to decry the heroic drama, and

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the p ...

retaliated by satirizing his ''Mamamouchi'', a foolish adaptation from Molière's ''

Bourgeois Gentilhomme ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (, translated as ''The Bourgeois Gentleman'', ''The Middle-Class Aristocrat'', or ''The Would-Be Noble'') is a five-act '' comédie-ballet'' – a play intermingled with music, dance and singing – written by Moli� ...

'' and ''

Monsieur de Pourceaugnac ''Monsieur de Pourceaugnac'' is a three-act '' comédie-ballet''—a ballet interrupted by spoken dialogue—by Molière, first presented on 6 October 1669 before the court of Louis XIV at the Château of Chambord by Molière's troupe of actor ...

'', in the prologue to the '' Assignation'' (Dryden, Works, ed. Scott, iv. 345 seq.)

Works

Among his pieces are: * '' The Citizen Turned Gentleman'' (

Dorset Garden The Dorset Garden Theatre in London, built in 1671, was in its early years also known as the Duke of York's Theatre, or the Duke's Theatre. In 1685, King Charles II died and his brother, the Duke of York, was crowned as James II. When the Du ...

, 1671, pr. 1675) *'' The Careless Lovers'' (Dorset Garden, 1673, pr. 1673), a comedy of intrigue * '' The Wrangling Lovers'' (Dorset Garden, 1676) *'' Scaramouch a Philosopher'', ''

Harlequin a Schoolboy Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally b ...

'', '' Bravo a Merchant and Magician'' ( Theatre Royal, 1677) * '' King Edgar and Alfreda'' (Theatre Royal, 1677) *'' English Lawyer'' (Theatre Royal, 1678), an adaptation of

George Ruggle ''Ignoramus'' is a college farce, a 1615 academic play by George Ruggle. Written in Latin (with passages in English and French), it was arguably the most famous and influential academic play of English Renaissance drama. Ruggle based his play on ...

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 ...

play of ''Ignoramus'', presented before

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� ...

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 beca ...

in March 1615; *''

The London Cuckolds ''The London Cuckolds'' is a 1681 comedy play by the English writer Edward Ravenscroft. It was performed at the Dorset Garden Theatre by the Duke's Company. The original cast included Cave Underhill as Wiseacre, James Nokes as Doodle, Joseph W ...

'' (Dorset Garden, 1681, pr. 1683), which became a stock piece, but was struck out of the repertory by David Garrick in 1751 * ''

Dame Dobson ''Dame Dobson'' is a 1683 comedy play by the English writer Edward Ravenscroft. First staged by the United Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre, the original cast included Katherine Corey as Dame Dobson, Edward Kynaston as Collonel, Thoma ...

'' (1683) *'' Titus Andronicus, or, The rape of Lavinia'' acted at the Theatre Royall: a tragedy, alter'd from Mr. Shakespears works / by Mr. Edw. Ravens croft. 1686. * '' The Canterbury Guests'' (Drury Lane, 1694) *'' The Italian Husband'' (

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entreprene ...

, 1697).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravenscroft, Edward 1650s births 1707 deaths 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights