Richard Hathwaye
Encyclopedia
Richard Hathwaye was an English
dramatist. Little is known about Hathwaye's life. There is no evidence that he was related to his namesake Richard Hathaway, the father of Shakespeare
's wife, Anne Hathaway. Hathwaye is not heard of after 1603.
Information on Hathwaye's dramatic career is derived mostly from the papers of Philip Henslowe
. He wrote eighteen plays for Henslowe for production by the Admiral's Men
and Worcester's Men
at the Rose Theater, both as sole author and in partnership with other playwrights who also produced copy for Henslowe. The first of these, King Arthur (1597), is the only play for which he received sole credit. He had likely already been writing for the stage for some time, however, since Francis Meres
refers to him as if he was a veteran dramatist in 1598, including him among those "best for comedy."
Hathwaye also wrote commendatory verses for John Bodenham
's Belvedere, published in 1600.
Aside from his Belvedere verses all of Hathwaye's works are lost except for the first part of the collaborative Sir John Oldcastle
, commissioned as a counterblast to the negative depiction of the title character in the original versions of William Shakespeare
's plays Henry IV (Part 1)
and Henry IV (Part 2)
. Objections from descendants of the historical John Oldcastle
, a Protestant martyr, appears to have been responsible both for the writing of the corrective Oldcastle play and the alteration of Oldcastle to Sir John Falstaff
in later versions of the Henry IV plays.
Known plays by Hathwaye, either singly or in conjunction with others, include:
For the Admiral's Men, 1598-1602:
For Worcester's Men, 1602-1603:
For the Admiral's Men, 1603:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dramatist. Little is known about Hathwaye's life. There is no evidence that he was related to his namesake Richard Hathaway, the father of Shakespeare
William 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"...
's wife, Anne Hathaway. Hathwaye is not heard of after 1603.
Information on Hathwaye's dramatic career is derived mostly from the papers of Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London...
. He wrote eighteen plays for Henslowe for production by the Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
and Worcester's Men
Worcester's Men
The Earl of Worcester's Men was an acting company in Renaissance England. An early formation of the company, wearing the livery of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, is among the companies known to have toured the country in the mid-sixteenth century...
at the Rose Theater, both as sole author and in partnership with other playwrights who also produced copy for Henslowe. The first of these, King Arthur (1597), is the only play for which he received sole credit. He had likely already been writing for the stage for some time, however, since Francis Meres
Francis Meres
Francis Meres was an English churchman and author.He was born at Kirton in the Holland division of Lincolnshire in 1565. He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he received a B.A. in 1587 and an M.A. in 1591. Two years later he was incorporated an M.A. of Oxford...
refers to him as if he was a veteran dramatist in 1598, including him among those "best for comedy."
Hathwaye also wrote commendatory verses for John Bodenham
John Bodenham
John Bodenham , anthologist, is stated to have been the editor of some of the Elizabethan anthologies, viz., Politeuphuia , Wits' Theater , Belvidere, or the Garden of the Muses , and England's Helicon . Mr...
's Belvedere, published in 1600.
Aside from his Belvedere verses all of Hathwaye's works are lost except for the first part of the collaborative Sir John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeare's contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr.-Publication:...
, commissioned as a counterblast to the negative depiction of the title character in the original versions of William Shakespeare
William 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"...
's plays Henry IV (Part 1)
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
and Henry IV (Part 2)
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
. Objections from descendants of the historical John Oldcastle
John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle , English Lollard leader, was son of Sir Richard Oldcastle of Almeley in northwest Herefordshire and grandson of another Sir John Oldcastle....
, a Protestant martyr, appears to have been responsible both for the writing of the corrective Oldcastle play and the alteration of Oldcastle to Sir John Falstaff
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
in later versions of the Henry IV plays.
Known plays by Hathwaye, either singly or in conjunction with others, include:
For the Admiral's Men, 1598-1602:
- King Arthur, April 1598. 1597. Not printed.
- Valentine and Orson, with Anthony MundayAnthony MundayAnthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...
, July 1598. Not printed. - Sir John Oldcastle, Part ISir John OldcastleSir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeare's contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr.-Publication:...
, with Michael DraytonMichael DraytonMichael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
, Anthony Munday and Robert WilsonRobert Wilson (dramatist)Robert Wilson , was an Elizabethan dramatist who worked primarily in the 1580s and 1590s. He is also believed to have been an actor who specialized in clown roles....
, October–December 1599. Editions published in 1600 and 1619. - Sir John Oldcastle, Part II, with Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson, October–December 1599. Not printed.
- Owen Tudor, with Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, January 1600. Not printed; possibly not finished.
- Fair Constance of Rome, Part I, with Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, June 1600. Not printed.
- Fair Constance of Rome, Part II, with Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday, and Robert Wilson, June 1600. Not printed; possibly not finished.
- Hannibal and Scipio, with William Rankins, January 1601. Not printed.
- Scogan and Skelton, with William Rankins, January–March 1601. Not printed.
- The Conquest of Spain by John of Gaunt, with William Rankins, March–April 1601. Never finished, at least for Henslowe, as the manuscript was returned to Hathwaye.
- The Six Clothiers, Part I, with William HaughtonWilliam HaughtonWilliam Haughton was an English playwright in the age of English Renaissance theatre. During the years 1597 to 1602 he collaborated in many plays with Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, John Day, Richard Hathwaye and Wentworth Smith....
and Wentworth SmithWentworth SmithWentworth Smith , was a minor English dramatist of the Elizabethan period who may have been responsible for some of the plays in the Shakespeare Apocrypha, though no work known to be his is extant.-Life and career:...
, October–November 1601. Not printed. - The Six Clothiers, Part II, with William Haughton and Wentworth Smith, October–November 1601. Not printed; possibly not finished.
- Too Good to be True, with Henry ChettleHenry ChettleHenry Chettle was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era.The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a member of the Stationer's Company in 1584, traveling to Cambridge on their behalf in 1588. His career as a printer and author is...
and Wentworth Smith, November 1601-January 1602. Not printed. - Merry as May Be, with John DayJohn Day (dramatist)John Day was an English dramatist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.-Life:He was born at Cawston, Norfolk, and educated at Ely. He became a sizar of Caius College, Cambridge, in 1592, but was expelled in the next year for stealing a book...
and Wentworth Smith, November 1602. Not printed.
For Worcester's Men, 1602-1603:
- The Black Dog of Newgate, Part I, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and an anonymous "other poet," November 1602-February 1603. Not printed.
- The Black Dog of Newgate, Part II, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and an anonymous "other poet," November 1602-February 1603.
- The Unfortunate General, with John Day, Wentworth Smith, and a third author, January 1603. Not printed.
For the Admiral's Men, 1603:
- The Boss of Billingsgate, with John Day and one or more others, March 1603. Not printed.