born March 3, 1652, Trotton, near Midhurst, Sussex, Eng.
died April 14, 1685, London
English dramatist and poet.
A failed actor, he turned to writing and had immense success with Don Carlos (produced 1676), considered the best of his rhymed heroic plays. His other plays include The Orphan (1680), a blank-verse domestic tragedy; The Souldier's Fortune (1680), a comedy; and his masterpiece, Venice Preserv'd (1682), one of the greatest theatrical successes of the period. A forerunner of sentimental drama, he is outstanding for his convincing presentations of human emotions in an age of heroic but artificial tragedies. The Poet's Complaint of His Muse (1680) is a powerful, gloomy autobiographical poem.