William Davenant

William Davenant, William D' Avenant also (* February 1606 in Oxford, † April 7, 1668 in London) was an English writer and theater director.

Life

Davenant was the son of the Mayor of Oxford John Davenant and his wife Jane Shepherd. His godfather was William Shakespeare, the rumors but often assumed the paternity. The writer Samuel Butler claimed to be able by means of some sample texts of Shakespeare and Davenant prove a relationship.

As in 1637, the writer Ben Jonson died, you called Davenant to his successor as Poet Laureate. As a partisan of the Stuarts supported Davenant in the English Civil War King Charles I, who knighted him in 1643 and, inter alia, sent as an unofficial ambassador to France. 1649 King Charles II appointed Davenant treasurer of the Virginia Colony.

1660 Davenant founded the ensemble of Duke player, one of the Patent Theatres, in Lincoln 's Inn Fields. With this ensemble, which also includes the actor Thomas Betterton was a member, Davenant mainly tried to bring his own songs on stage.

At the age of 62 years Sir William Davenant died on April 7, 1668 after years of suffering from syphilis in London. His final resting place he found in the " Poet's Corner " of Westminster Abbey; on his grave stone reads: " O rare Sir William Davenant ."

Davenant created with his comedies and dramas, the first plays of the Restoration period and is always seen as the successor of Jonson. With The siege of Rhodes Davenant created in 1656 the first English opera with music by Henry Lawes, among others, and Matthew Locke. The great English actress and soprano Kitty Clive celebrated in 1735 still a success with his adaptation of Macbeth and the songs contained therein of witches.

Works

• Albovine, King of the Lombards ( 1629)
• The Wits ( 1636)
• The Plato Nick Lovers ( 1643)
• The Unfortunate Lovers ( 1643)
• Love and Honour ( 1649)
• Gondibert (1650)
• The Siege of Rhodes ( 1656)