Who was Thomas Kyd?
Thomas Kyd was an English playwright and the author of The Spanish Tragedy, regarded as one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. He was baptised on the 6th of November 1558 and died in 1594.
Questions about Thomas Kyd
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When and where was Thomas Kyd baptised?
Thomas Kyd was baptised on the 6th of November 1558 at the church of St Mary Woolnoth in the Ward of Langborn on Lombard Street in London. No record survives of the actual day he was born.
What is Thomas Kyd's most famous play?
Thomas Kyd's most famous play is The Spanish Tragedy, first recorded on stage on the 23rd of February 1592 by Lord Strange's Men. It was often called simply Hieronimo, and historian J. R. Mulryne records eleven editions printed between 1592 and 1633.
Why was Thomas Kyd arrested in 1593?
Thomas Kyd was arrested in connection with an investigation into anti-foreigner libels posted around London in May 1593. A search of his lodgings turned up an Arianist tract rather than evidence of the libels, which he said he had gotten from Christopher Marlowe.
How did Thomas Kyd's arrest affect Christopher Marlowe?
Thomas Kyd told his questioners that the heretical writings found in his rooms belonged to Christopher Marlowe and accused him of blasphemous, atheist views. Marlowe was then summoned by the Privy Council and was killed in an incident at Deptford involving known government agents.
When did Thomas Kyd die and what happened to his estate?
Thomas Kyd died in 1594, at the age of 35, and was buried on the 15th of August at St Mary Colechurch in London. In December of that year his mother renounced administration of his estate, likely because it was debt-ridden.
What is the Ur-Hamlet and how is it connected to Thomas Kyd?
The Ur-Hamlet is a lost, pre-Shakespearean version of Hamlet that some scholars, beginning about a hundred years after Kyd's rediscovery, controversially believe Thomas Kyd may have written.