The Resume

(circa 1572-August 25, 1632)
Born in London, United Kingdom
Playwright, poet and pamphleteer
Collaborated with Ben Jonson, John Ford, John Webster and others
Plays include ‘The Shoemaker’s Holiday’ (1599), ‘Satiromastix’ (1601), ‘The Honest Whore’ (1604), ‘Westward Ho’ (1604), ‘The Roaring Girl’ (1611), ‘The Witch of Edmonton’ (1621), ‘The Noble Spanish Soldier’ (1622), ‘The Fairy Knight’ (1624), ‘Keep the Widow Waking’ (1624), and ‘The Honest Whore, Part II’ (1630)
Pamphlets include ‘The Wonderful Year’ (1603), ‘The Belman of London’ (1608) and ‘The Gul’s Hornbook’ (1609)
Wrote the poem ‘The Merry Month of May’

Why he might be annoying:

Many of his plays were lost.
Critics have described his writing as ‘often careless and slipshod.’
During the ‘War of the Theaters,’ he and Jonson lobbed insults at each other; Jonson portrayed him as a bumbling hack, while he mocked Jonson as an arrogant hypocrite.
He spent seven years in debtor’s prison (1613-19).

Why he might not be annoying:

His plays and pamphlets vividly portray daily life in London.
He and Jonson collaborated on the pageant for King James I’s Royal Entry into London (1603).
He also produced four pageants for London’s Lord Mayor (1612,1627-29).
Paul McCartney adapted one of his poems for the lyrics to the Beatles’ song ‘Golden Slumbers.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 17th Century Poets
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 71]
• I Died in Debt
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• People with Tom, Dick or Harry in their Names
• Playwrights
• Poets
• Profiles 45251-45500 (Ranked: 45310)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying