John Wilson (1626–1696) was an English
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just
Readin ...
and lawyer.
Life and work
He was son of Aaron Wilson, a
royalist divine, and was born in London in 1626. He matriculated from
Exeter College,
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, in 1644, and entered
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
two years later, being called to the bar in 1649. His unswerving support of the royal pretensions recommended him to
James, duke of York
James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
, through whose influence he became
Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...
of
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
about 1681. ''His Discourse of Monarchy'' (1684), a tract in favour of the succession of the duke of York, was followed (1685) by a "Pindarique" on his coronation. In 1688 he wrote ''Jus regium Coronae'', a learned defence of James's action in dispensing with the penal statutes. He died in obscurity, due perhaps to his political opinions, in 1696. Wilson was the author of four plays, showing a vigorous and learned wit, and a power of character-drawing that place him rather among the followers of
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...
than with the
Restoration dramatists.
''The Cheats'' (written in 1662, printed 1664, 1671) was played with great success in 1663.
John Lacy found one of his best parts in Scruple, a caricature of a Presbyterian minister of accommodating morality. ''Andronicus Comnenius'' (1664), a blank verse tragedy, is based on the story of
Andronicus Comnenus as told by
Peter Heylin
Peter Heylyn or Heylin (29 November 1599 – 8 May 1662) was an English ecclesiastic and author of many polemical, historical, political and theological tracts. He incorporated his political concepts into his geographical books ''Microcosm ...
in his ''Cosmography''. It contains a scene between the usurper and the widow of his victim Alexius which follows very closely
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 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 ...
's treatment of a parallel situation in
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
. ''The Projectors'' (1665), a prose comedy of London life, is, like
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 great writers in the French language and world liter ...
's ''
The Miser
''The Miser'' (; ) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September 9, 1668, in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris.
This is a character com ...
'', founded on the
Aulularia of Plautus, but there is no evidence that Wilson was acquainted with the French play. ''Belphegor, or the Marriage of the Devil; a Tragi-coniedy'' (1690), treats of a theme familiar to
Elizabethan drama
The English Renaissance theatre or Elizabethan theatre was the theatre of England from 1558 to 1642. Its most prominent playwrights were William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson.
Background
The term ''English Renaissance theatr ...
, but Wilson took the subject from the
Belphegor
Belphegor (or Baal Peor, Hebrew: בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר baʿal-pəʿōr – “''Lord of the Gap''”) is, in Christianity, a demon associated with one of the seven deadly sins. According to religious tradition, he helps people make discov ...
attributed to
Machiavelli, and alludes also to
Straparola
Giovanni Francesco "Gianfrancesco" Straparola, also known as Zoan or Zuan Francesco Straparola da Caravaggio (ca. 1485–1558), was an Italians, Italian writer of poetry, and collector and writer of short stories. Some time during his life, he mi ...
's version in the ''
Notti''. He also translated into English
Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...
's ''
Encomium Moriae'' (1668).
References
*
*
*
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John
1626 births
1696 deaths
English dramatists and playwrights
Writers from London
Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Lawyers from Derry (city)
English male dramatists and playwrights