Macropedius
Encyclopedia
Georgius Macropedius also known as Joris van Lanckvelt, was a Dutch
humanist
, schoolmaster and 'the greatest Latin playwright of the 16th century'.
(Northern Brabant, the Netherlands) in 1487. Little is known about his boyhood. After having attended the parish school Joris van Lanckvelt moved to 's-Hertogenbosch. Here, he attended the local grammar school. Joris lived in one of the boarding-houses of the Brothers of the Common Life, who were followers of the Modern Devotion. In 1502, at the age of fifteen, he became a member of the fraternity and prepared for a career in teaching. About ten years later he was ordained and started teaching Latin at the municipal grammar school. In the years 1506–1510 he had already started writing Latin plays for his students. The first drafts of his drama Asotus (The Prodigal Son) date from this period. He took on a classic name, as was the custom among sixteenth century humanists. Joris became Georgius and Van Lanckvelt was translated into Macropedius.
In 1524 he was appointed headmaster of St. Jerome's in Liège. The Liège grammar school flourished due to activities of both Macropedius and others. In 1527 Macropedius returned to 's-Hertogenbosch and by the end of 1530 Macropedius had already moved to Utrecht
at the time the largest city in the northern part of the Netherlands. Macropedius, who apparently enjoyed some fame at the time and was reputed to be a loyal Roman Catholic, was appointed headmaster. He transformed St. Jerome's in Utrecht into the most famous school in the country. He taught Latin, Greek, poetry, rhetoric, and possibly Hebrew, mathematics, rhetoric and theory of music too. Every year he composed both text and music of a lengthy Latin school song. At St. Jerome's he wrote most of his Latin textbooks and plays, which were published not only in Utrecht, but also in Antwerp, Basel, Cologne, Frankfurt, 's-Hertogenbosch, Paris and in London.
In the years 1552–1554 his collected works were revised and edited in two volumes in Utrecht: Omnes Georgii Macropedii Fabulae Comicae. The songs were now printed together with their music. Afterwards, he only wrote one more play: Jesus Scholasticus.
In 1557 or 1558 he resigned as headmaster of the school, and left Utrecht to return to his native soil, Brabant. Here he lived for another year in the House of Brothers of the Common Life in 's-Hertogenbosch. He died at the age of 71 in this town during a period of the plague in July 1558, and was buried in the Brothers’ church. After his death his grateful former students erected a monumental tomb there, with an epitaph. They had a portrait painted of their beloved master, which was hung over the tomb. Both tomb and painting have disappeared and so has the church.
may have known it due to the reprint of the work by his friend, fellow townsman and printer Richard Field. Evidently, the book was used at many schools in Western Europe for a long period of time.
His schoolbooks proved Macropedius to be a man of great humanist culture and follower of Erasmus. He knew all about the seven Free Arts and the Three Languages Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He was very familiar with the classic Greek and Roman literature, with the Bible and the writings of the Fathers of the Church as well. Many reprints of his textbooks in the Netherlands, in Germany, in France and in England prove that Macropedius’ acitivities were highly esteemed by his contemporaries and by the next generation of humanists as well. By writing his books and his teachings, Macropedius contributed very much to the successful humanist educational reform in the first part of the sixteenth century. He indefatigably promoted Greek, not only the reading of the New Testament but also the study of the works of the classic Greek authors.
Macropedius owes his greatest fame to his twelve plays. In the Netherlands and in Germany he was the first, the most productive and the best Latin playwright.
Andrisca is a comedy about two shrewd and adulterous women wearing the breeches and fighting their silly husbands. By the end of the century, the same plot was elaborated by William Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew. Bassarus is a real Shrovetide play. Asotus is about the Biblical theme of the prodigal son. The play was performed by the students of Trinity College in Cambridge, and at Prague university. In 1539 Macropedius’ most successful play Hecastus was published. This drama secured him a place among the world's dramatists. It is a freely composed version of the late medieval Dutch morality play Elckerlijc
(in English known as Everyman
). The main character, Hecastus, is a wealthy young man enjoying the good things of life. When he learns that he is to die soon, not one of his friends, relatives or servants is willing to accompany him on his final journey. It's a masterpiece and it was very successful.
Before the end of the century, Hecastus was performed and printed in the original Latin and in translation. Twelve independent editions and six German translations are known. One of these translations was made by the famous poet of the Reformation, Hans Sachs. The play was also translated into Danish, Dutch and in 1681 into Swedish. In the Netherlands Hecastus was performed several times. In Germany in particular the play was most successful. Eighteen performances have been well established. For the second edition (1552), Macropedius had to revise and extend the play. The tolerant humanist Macropedius was apparently suspected of sympathizing with the Reformation
. Therefore he was forced to revise and extend the second edition (1552) of the play as can be concluded from the prologue as well.
; the philologist Willem Canter; Johannes Heurnius
, professor of medicine at Leyden university; the geographer Gerardus Mercator
; the lawyer and friend of William of Orange, Elbertus Leoninus
; the printer Lawrence Torrentinus
who became famous in Italy and the well-known physician Johannes Wier, who disputed the belief in witchcraft as early as 1563.
Macropedius remained famous until at least half a century after his death,. In 1565 a group of former students published a collection of poems to commemorate their admired master: Apotheosis D. Georgii Macropedii. In the seventeenth century, Macropedius and his works gradually sank into oblivion. His plays were no longer performed and his books were not reprinted anymore. The plays were written in Latin whereas the self-confident poets and playwrights of the Dutch Republic increasingly used their native language. It was not until after two centuries that his name became known again. The twentieth century saw numerous books and articles about the humanist. In 1972 the American Thomas W. Best published his Macropedius in the New York Twayne's World Authors Series. In recent years more books and articles were published in Europe, South Africa, Canada and in the United States. His plays were translated into Dutch and English as well. English translations of three plays are being presented on the Web.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, schoolmaster and 'the greatest Latin playwright of the 16th century'.
Biography
Macropedius was born as Joris van Lanckvelt in GemertGemert
Gemert is a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Gemert-Bakel. On January 1, 2009 there were 15.268 inhabitants in Gemert.Gemert was a separate municipality until 1997, when it merged with Bakel....
(Northern Brabant, the Netherlands) in 1487. Little is known about his boyhood. After having attended the parish school Joris van Lanckvelt moved to 's-Hertogenbosch. Here, he attended the local grammar school. Joris lived in one of the boarding-houses of the Brothers of the Common Life, who were followers of the Modern Devotion. In 1502, at the age of fifteen, he became a member of the fraternity and prepared for a career in teaching. About ten years later he was ordained and started teaching Latin at the municipal grammar school. In the years 1506–1510 he had already started writing Latin plays for his students. The first drafts of his drama Asotus (The Prodigal Son) date from this period. He took on a classic name, as was the custom among sixteenth century humanists. Joris became Georgius and Van Lanckvelt was translated into Macropedius.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
at the time the largest city in the northern part of the Netherlands. Macropedius, who apparently enjoyed some fame at the time and was reputed to be a loyal Roman Catholic, was appointed headmaster. He transformed St. Jerome's in Utrecht into the most famous school in the country. He taught Latin, Greek, poetry, rhetoric, and possibly Hebrew, mathematics, rhetoric and theory of music too. Every year he composed both text and music of a lengthy Latin school song. At St. Jerome's he wrote most of his Latin textbooks and plays, which were published not only in Utrecht, but also in Antwerp, Basel, Cologne, Frankfurt, 's-Hertogenbosch, Paris and in London.
In 1557 or 1558 he resigned as headmaster of the school, and left Utrecht to return to his native soil, Brabant. Here he lived for another year in the House of Brothers of the Common Life in 's-Hertogenbosch. He died at the age of 71 in this town during a period of the plague in July 1558, and was buried in the Brothers’ church. After his death his grateful former students erected a monumental tomb there, with an epitaph. They had a portrait painted of their beloved master, which was hung over the tomb. Both tomb and painting have disappeared and so has the church.
Writings
Macropedius wrote several textbooks. The most famous of all was Epistolica, a textbook on the art of writing letters. It was published for the first time in Antwerp in 1543. It was also printed as Methodus de Conscribendis Epistolis in Basel, Cologne, Dilligen, Frankfurt am Main, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Leyde. The book was published in London in 1576, followed by ten reprints; the last one dates from 1649. Even William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
may have known it due to the reprint of the work by his friend, fellow townsman and printer Richard Field. Evidently, the book was used at many schools in Western Europe for a long period of time.
His schoolbooks proved Macropedius to be a man of great humanist culture and follower of Erasmus. He knew all about the seven Free Arts and the Three Languages Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He was very familiar with the classic Greek and Roman literature, with the Bible and the writings of the Fathers of the Church as well. Many reprints of his textbooks in the Netherlands, in Germany, in France and in England prove that Macropedius’ acitivities were highly esteemed by his contemporaries and by the next generation of humanists as well. By writing his books and his teachings, Macropedius contributed very much to the successful humanist educational reform in the first part of the sixteenth century. He indefatigably promoted Greek, not only the reading of the New Testament but also the study of the works of the classic Greek authors.
Andrisca is a comedy about two shrewd and adulterous women wearing the breeches and fighting their silly husbands. By the end of the century, the same plot was elaborated by William Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew. Bassarus is a real Shrovetide play. Asotus is about the Biblical theme of the prodigal son. The play was performed by the students of Trinity College in Cambridge, and at Prague university. In 1539 Macropedius’ most successful play Hecastus was published. This drama secured him a place among the world's dramatists. It is a freely composed version of the late medieval Dutch morality play Elckerlijc
Elckerlijc
Elckerlijc is a Dutch morality play which was written somewhere around the year 1470 and was originally printed in 1495. It was extremely successful and may have been the original source for the English play Everyman, as well as many other translations for other countries...
(in English known as Everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
). The main character, Hecastus, is a wealthy young man enjoying the good things of life. When he learns that he is to die soon, not one of his friends, relatives or servants is willing to accompany him on his final journey. It's a masterpiece and it was very successful.
Before the end of the century, Hecastus was performed and printed in the original Latin and in translation. Twelve independent editions and six German translations are known. One of these translations was made by the famous poet of the Reformation, Hans Sachs. The play was also translated into Danish, Dutch and in 1681 into Swedish. In the Netherlands Hecastus was performed several times. In Germany in particular the play was most successful. Eighteen performances have been well established. For the second edition (1552), Macropedius had to revise and extend the play. The tolerant humanist Macropedius was apparently suspected of sympathizing with the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. Therefore he was forced to revise and extend the second edition (1552) of the play as can be concluded from the prologue as well.
Legacy
Macropedius’ successes were not only limited to the field of drama. As a teacher or headmaster in 's-Hertogenbosch, Liège and Utrecht he had many students who later became influential men in government, science and in the arts. Among them were the Greek scholar Arnoldus ArleniusArnoldus Arlenius
Arnoldus Arlenius Peraxylus, , born Arndt or Arnout van Eyndhouts or van Eynthouts, also known as Arnoud de Lens, was a Dutch humanist philosopher and poet....
; the philologist Willem Canter; Johannes Heurnius
Johannes Heurnius
Johannes Heurnius was a Dutch physician and natural philosopher.-Life:He was born at Utrecht, and studied at Leuven and Paris. He went to the University of Padua to study under Hieronymus Fabricius; and graduated M.D...
, professor of medicine at Leyden university; the geographer Gerardus Mercator
Gerardus Mercator
thumb|right|200px|Gerardus MercatorGerardus Mercator was a cartographer, born in Rupelmonde in the Hapsburg County of Flanders, part of the Holy Roman Empire. He is remembered for the Mercator projection world map, which is named after him...
; the lawyer and friend of William of Orange, Elbertus Leoninus
Elbertus Leoninus
Elbertus Leoninus was the Latinized name of Elbert de Leeuw , Dutch jurist and statesman, who helped negotiate the Pacification of Ghent.-Family life:...
; the printer Lawrence Torrentinus
Lawrence Torrentinus
Lawrence Torrentinus, also known as Lorenzo Torrentino, Laurentius Torrentinus, Laurens van den Bleeck was a Dutch-Italian humanist and famous typographer and printer for Cosimo, Duke of Florence.-Biography:...
who became famous in Italy and the well-known physician Johannes Wier, who disputed the belief in witchcraft as early as 1563.
Macropedius remained famous until at least half a century after his death,. In 1565 a group of former students published a collection of poems to commemorate their admired master: Apotheosis D. Georgii Macropedii. In the seventeenth century, Macropedius and his works gradually sank into oblivion. His plays were no longer performed and his books were not reprinted anymore. The plays were written in Latin whereas the self-confident poets and playwrights of the Dutch Republic increasingly used their native language. It was not until after two centuries that his name became known again. The twentieth century saw numerous books and articles about the humanist. In 1972 the American Thomas W. Best published his Macropedius in the New York Twayne's World Authors Series. In recent years more books and articles were published in Europe, South Africa, Canada and in the United States. His plays were translated into Dutch and English as well. English translations of three plays are being presented on the Web.
External links
- A website about Macropedius (and here a song composed by him can be heard):http://members.tripod.com/commanderijcollege/giebels/macro_eng.html