Thomas Middleton (Middleton Thomas)

(1580-1627)
Born in April 1580 in London bricklayer family. In 1598 was admitted to the University of Oxford, but the degree, apparently, never received. Another student published several poetic works. By 1601 he returned to London and began working for the theater. Middleton's first play (written jointly with T. Dekker and other dramatists) lost. In 1604, together with Dekker wrote the first part of the Fair slut (The Honest Whore), and has published two satirical pamphlet on the life of London - The Ant and the Nightingale (The Ant and the Nightingale) and Black Book (The Black Book). In 1603-1608 wrote a play for children's theater groups, and after their breakup - for adult actors unions. From 1615 collaborating with the strongest at that time the troupe - 'the servants of His Majesty'. Being in debt in 1611-1612, with 1613 began to earn composing texts for city festivals and in 1620 was appointed as the official chronicler of London. Middleton died at Newington-Butts, a suburb of London, July 7, 1627
. The first success in the 1606-1607 Middleton brought the play Fall Semester (Michaelmas Term), . Mad world, . Gentlemen (A Mad World, . My Masters) and How to fool the old man (A Trick to Catch the Old One) - live action-comedy, . which is adjacent to the cheerful exuberance serious depiction of modern Middleton change in society,
. Fantastic story combines them with the simplicity and ease of prosaic dialogue, and precise details of London life. Best of Urban Comedy Middleton, honest girl from Cheapside (The Chaste Maid in Cheapside, OK. 1613) - brilliantly witty play, superior strength and depth of his earlier works. Later, Middleton moved from comedy to tragicomedy, and then to the tragedy, and prose - the predominance of verse, from relying on intrigue - to the psychological motivation of the. His most famous tragedy - Just match (A Fair Quarrel), in which the lady Eydzher sacrificing its reputation, in a vain attempt to save his son from a duel. Among the later works of Middleton, are the two tragedies, giving a merciless picture of moral degradation: Women Beware Women (Women, Beware Women, ca. 1615-1617) and the substitution Secret (The Changeling, 1622). Worth mentioning is also a witty play The Game (The Game at Chess, 1624), which was probably the last piece of Middleton - an allegory, where England and Spain are represented rivals in the chess match.