author
Thomas Godfrey
1736–1763
A gifted early American poet and dramatist, he is remembered for writing The Prince of Parthia, a landmark work in colonial theater. His life was brief, but his writing helped mark out a place for American-born voices on the stage.
1 Audiobook
The Prince of Parthia: A Tragedy
by Thomas Godfrey
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1736, Thomas Godfrey was the son of inventor Thomas Godfrey. He became known as a poet and playwright in colonial America, producing literary work while still very young.
His best-known work is The Prince of Parthia, widely noted as the first play by an American to be performed by a professional cast. He is also associated with The Court of Fancy, a poem that reflects his admiration for writers including Chaucer and Alexander Pope.
Godfrey died in 1763 at only twenty-six years old. Because his career was so short, his reputation rests on a small body of work, but that work has given him a lasting place in the story of early American literature and drama.