1593 in literature

This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 1593.

Events

• Ongoing – The London theatres remain closed for almost the entire year, due to the outbreak of bubonic plague that began the previous year. In the summer, Edward Alleyn and other actors tour the towns and countryside beyond the city. Since plague tends to abate in winter, some performances take place then; Lord Strange's Men act a play called Titus — perhaps Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus — three times in January.
• May 5 – "Dutch church libel": Bills posted in London threatening Protestant refugees from France and the Netherlands allude to Christopher Marlowe's plays.
• May 12 – Arrest of English dramatist Thomas Kyd in connection with the "Dutch church libel". "Atheist" literature found in his home is claimed to be Marlowe's.
• May 18 – A warrant for the arrest of Christopher Marlowe is issued. On May 20 he presents himself to the Privy Council.
• May 29 – Execution of the Welsh-born Protestant John Penry for involvement with the Marprelate Controversy.^[1]
• May 30 – Marlowe is stabbed to death by speculator Ingram Frizer in a dispute over the bill at a lodging house in Deptford kept by the widow Eleanor Bull.^[2]

New books

• Bible of Kralice, first complete translation of the Bible into Czech
• Fray Juan de Plasencia – Doctrina Christiana, first book published in the Philippines, in Spanish and Tagalog
• John Eliot – Ortho-epia Gallica
• Richard Hooker – Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie
• Antonio Possevino – Bibliotheca selecta

New drama

• Daniel Cramer – Plagium
• Thomas Kyd (probably; perhaps with Shakespeare) – The Raigne of King Edward the Third (approximate date)^[3]
• George Peele – Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First

Poetry

• Barnabe Barnes – Parthenophil and Parthenophone
• Michael Drayton
  • Idea: The Shepherd's Garland
  • The Legend of Piers Gaveston
• William Shakespeare – Venus and Adonis

Births

• April 3 – George Herbert, Welsh-born poet (died 1633)
• May 20 – Salomo Glassius, German theologian (died 1656)
• Unknown date – Robert Creighton, Scottish classicist, politician and bishop (died 1672)
• Approximate year – Aodh Buidhe Mac an Bhaird (Hugh Ward), Irish poet and hagiographer (died 1635)

Deaths

• February 6 – Jacques Amyot, French translator (born 1513)
• May 30 – Christopher Marlowe, English dramatist and poet (born 1564)
• August 19 – Antonio Veneziano, Italian poet writing in Sicilian (born 1543)
• Unknown date – Jeong Cheol, Korean poet and statesman (born 1536)

References