Thomas North

author

Thomas North

Best known for bringing Plutarch into vivid Elizabethan English, this 16th-century translator helped shape the stories that later reached Shakespeare’s stage. His work still stands out for its energy, clarity, and lasting literary influence.

1 Audiobook

Five Years in Texas Or, What you did not hear during the war from January 1861 to January 1866. A narrative of his travels, experiences, and observation

Five Years in Texas Or, What you did not hear during the war from January 1861 to January 1866. A narrative of his travels, experiences, and observation

by Thomas North

About the author

Sir Thomas North was an English translator, lawyer, military officer, and justice of the peace, born in 1535. He is remembered above all for his 1579 English version of Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, translated from the French version by Jacques Amyot.

That translation became hugely important in English literature because it was a major source for Shakespeare’s Roman plays, including Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. North’s prose is often praised for being lively and forceful, helping classical history feel immediate to English readers of his time.

Although much of his reputation rests on translation, North also had a varied public life, serving in legal and military roles. For modern readers, his lasting appeal comes from the way he carried ancient biography into memorable English and quietly influenced some of the most famous drama ever written.