Thomas Killigrew
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Thomas Killigrew (7 February 1612 – 19 March 1683), was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England.
Life and Work
Killigrew was one of twelve children of Sir Robert Killigrew, of Hanworth, a courtier to James I and his wife Mary née Woodhouse; he became a page to King Charles I at about the age of thirteen. According to Samuel Pepys, the boy Killigrew used to volunteer as an extra, or "devil," at the Red Bull Theatre, so that he could see the plays for free. The young Killigrew had limited formal education; the Court and the playhouse were his schoolroom.
Before the English Civil War, Killigrew wrote several plays—tragicomedies like Claracilla and The Prisoners, as well as his most popular play, The Parson's Wedding (1637). The latter play has been criticized for its coarse humor; but it also contains prose readings of John Donne's poetry to pique a literate audience.
