Thomas Shadwell was one of the most successful playwrights and poets to come of age after the Restoration of Charles II. His nineteen plays placed him with Dryden as the two leading writers for the theatre in their generation; he succeeded Dryden as poet laureate in recognition of his stature as a writer and of his loyal dedication to the Protestant cause. His reputation during his lifetime was secure. But he had the misfortune of being the target of Dryden’s

Mac Flecknoe

(See seperate entry), and he remains best known today as the eponymous hero of Dryden’s burlesque, characterized first and foremost as the heir of poetic dullness. In the past fifty years, however, critics have revisited Shadwell and his work; as a result, his reputation has been steadily on the rise.

Shadwell was

1848 words

Citation: Corman, Brian. "Thomas Shadwell". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 June 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4034, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4034 Thomas Shadwell 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.