Below is a detailed biography of George Peele, a British dramatist, translator, and poet. His genres in playwriting include many among which tragedy, mythology, and pageant are some. He is best known for having his plays performed in the court before Queen Elizabeth.
Early Life of George Peele
George Peele was born in London to James Peele and his wife Anne who later became a Nurse. James Peele worked at a school as a clerk in central London. He was born in the year 1556. He went to the same school his father worked at – Christ’s Hospital. Later as a young boy, in the year 1571, he went to Broadgates Hall in Oxford.
He married Ann Cooke when she was 16 years old in London. Peele began his career with plays. He was assigned two Latin plays to entertain Albertus Alasco, a Polish Nobleman who was to come to the Christ Church. He also started translating shortly. He is best known for his translation of Iphigenias into the English – Euripides.
The career of George Peele
In 1585, he wrote ‘The Device of the Pageant’ and further went on to devise the pageant in 1591 which was organized in the honour of the Lord Mayor, Sir William Webbe. He made Queen Elizabeth a part of the pageants by adding her and honoring her. Many controversies revolved around his life and he was often known as a ‘man to shift his living in a drastic way’. He was covered by Robert Greene in one of his pamphlets.
One of the most famous of his plays is ‘The Arraignment of Paris’. It was presented before Queen Elizabeth by the boys studying at the Children of the Chapel Royal. His later play ‘Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First’ came into print in 1593. It is believed that it is work like these that gave a step to Shakespearean historical drama.
Many of the works have been published anonymously. ‘The Old Wives’ Tale’ that came out in 1595 is very strongly suspected to be written by him. In the same year his play, a biblical drama came out in 1588 called ‘The Love of King David and fair Bethsabe’.
Achievements of George Peele
George was a part of the University scholars. He is believed to have increased the dignity of English drama. The addition of songs to plays has played a vital role in the transformation of the industry as a whole which led to them adding a bigger team.
One of the eight boarding houses of George’s Hospital is named after George Peele keeping in remembrance the services the Peele family has been doing to the school and Peele’s achievements.
Death of George Peel
George Peel died on the 9th of November 1596 and was buried at St James Church, Clerkenwell. Apparently, he died out of pox.
