author
Nicholas Rowe
1674–1718
A leading dramatist of the early 1700s, he helped shape English tragedy and was also the first editor to bring out a modern collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays. His work was admired in his own lifetime, and he became Poet Laureate in 1715.
2 Audiobooks
Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespear (1709)
by Nicholas Rowe
Jane Shore : A tragedy, in five acts
by Nicholas Rowe
About the author
Nicholas Rowe was an English playwright, poet, and man of letters born in 1674 and dead in 1718. He is best remembered as one of the most successful tragic dramatists of his generation, with plays including The Fair Penitent and Jane Shore, and for becoming Poet Laureate in 1715.
He also holds an important place in literary history because he prepared the first modern edited edition of Shakespeare’s works, published in 1709. That edition helped shape how Shakespeare was presented to later readers, and Rowe’s work as an editor has remained a major part of his reputation.
Alongside his plays, Rowe translated classical writing and built a strong reputation in London literary life. He is often seen as a writer who stood between Restoration drama and the more sentimental, moral tone that would become popular in the eighteenth century.