The Twins

is a tragicomedy by William Ryder. It was first published as a quarto in 1655, but the title-page to the work indicates that it was initially performed at the private Salisbury Court Theatre, and David Stevens has suggested that Queen Henrietta’s Men were responsible for its first production in around 1635.

Incredibly little is known about the identity and life of William Ryder, who is not to be confused with Sir William Ryder, the Lord Mayor of London who died in 1611. The extent of the dramatist Ryder’s output is highly uncertain, as The Twins is the only publication of his to have survived. To further compound the uncertainty surrounding the playwright and his work, Frederick Gard Fleay has suggested that The Twins was either a revival or an adaptation of Richard

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Citation: Powell, Louise. "The Twins". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 October 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38827, accessed 19 April 2024.]

38827 The Twins 3 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.

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