(baptized April 17, 1586, Ilsington, Devon, Eng.
died 1639?) British dramatist.
Early in his career he studied law and wrote collaboratively with several other playwrights, but little more is known of his life, and the dating of many of his works is uncertain. His revenge tragedies are characterized by scenes of austere beauty, insight into human passions, and poetic diction of a high order. His reputation rests on the first four plays he wrote alone, only one of which can be dated with certainty: The Broken Heart ; The Lover's Melancholy (1628); Perkin Warbeck ; and 'Tis Pity She's a Whore , an eloquently sympathetic story of incestuous lovers that is his best-known work.