author
Cyril Tourneur
d. 1626
Best known for the dark Jacobean tragedy The Atheist’s Tragedy, this early modern writer also had a life that reached beyond the stage, serving as a soldier and diplomat. His reputation has long been shaped by the haunting violence and moral intensity associated with his name.
1 Audiobook
Webster & Tourneur
by John Webster, Cyril Tourneur
About the author
Very little is known for certain about this English dramatist’s early life, but he is generally placed around 1575 and died on February 28, 1626. Sources describe him not only as a playwright, but also as a soldier and diplomat, which gives his career an unusually practical, worldly edge for a writer now remembered mainly through drama.
His securely known major work is The Atheist’s Tragedy, published in 1611, a revenge tragedy noted for its grim imagery and severe moral atmosphere. For many years he was also credited with The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607), though that play is now more often attributed to Thomas Middleton, so modern accounts usually treat the connection with caution.
Late in life he was associated with Sir Edward Cecil’s military expedition and died at Kinsale, in County Cork, Ireland. Even with so many biographical gaps, his name remains closely tied to the fierce, unsettling world of Jacobean tragedy.