Robert Davenport
Robert Davenport was a playwright from the early 17th century, whose works have been largely overshadowed by his contemporaries, notably William Shakespeare. Little is known about his life, with estimations placing his birth shortly after 1600 and his death around 1651. Davenport is best remembered for three surviving plays: "The City-Night-Cap," "King John and Matilda," and "A New Tricke to Cheat the Divell." Critics have drawn comparisons between his writing and that of Shakespeare, particularly noting thematic influences from plays such as "Othello" and "Measure for Measure."
Davenport's storytelling is characterized by its engaging plots and well-developed characters, though his poetic and dramatic abilities are viewed as not quite reaching Shakespearean heights. "A New Tricke to Cheat the Divell" features a subplot that blends humor with moral lessons, reflecting the societal issues of wastefulness and greed. Meanwhile, "King John and Matilda" has been highlighted for its exploration of repentance. Despite the limited availability of his works—many of his plays noted in historical records have not survived—Davenport's talent for creating lively, character-driven narratives has earned him recognition among literary scholars.
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Robert Davenport
Playwright
- Born: fl. 1620-1640
Biography
Little biographical information has ever been unearthed about Robert Davenport, although his three extant plays have been written about by such luminaries as Algernon Charles Swineburn, Washington Irving, and Charles Lamb. Some critics have compared his work to that of William Shakespeare, who flourished in the generation preceding the era in which Davenport apparently lived. Elements of his plots are thought to have been influenced by Shakespeare’s Othello, Measure for Measure, and The Winter’s Tale.
The three surviving Daveport plays are The City-Night-Cap, King John and Matilda, and A New Tricke to Cheat the Divell. Though several other Davenport plays are noted in the Stationers’ Register between 1630 and 1660, no texts of them have been found. Presumably, Davenport was born shortly after 1600 and died around 1651, although these dates are purely speculative.
Swineburn included a chapter on Davenport’s writing in his Contemporaries of Shakespeare (1919). He singles out A New Tricke to Cheat the Divell as the best of the three extant plays, noting especially its well-controlled plot and its effective literary style. Other critics, however, disagree with Swineburn’s ranking of this play, which deals with the subjects of wastefulness and greed.
In the play, Anne Changeable is betrothed to a handsome young man named Slightall. Anne’s mother, however, is a social climber who wants a title for her daughter and plots to have her marry Lord Scales, whose title will then be bestowed upon her. Anne finally is convinced to do her mother’s bidding, whereupon Slightall, stung by disappointment and disillusionment, embarks on a life of debauchery and, in the process, jeopardizes his entire future. Anne comes across as a fickle nonentity in act one. By act two, however, she has matured, has rejected Lord Scales, and sought to reestablish her relationship with Slightall, which, by the end of the play, she accomplishes. As in Davenport’s other plays, A New Trick to Cheat the Devil contains a highly amusing subplot that involves slapstick humor in which an wily, unfaithful wife, with the help of two friars, is given her richly deserved comeuppance in a scene that had Jacobean audiences roaring with laughter.
Charles Lamb, commenting on Davneport in his Extracts from the Garrick Plays (1827), singled out King John and Matilda as Davenport’s best play, commending the author for the way in which he handled the repentance of King John. Other critics have commented on the inherent power and stylistic excellence of the play. Speaking of Davenport’s plays in general, the critical consensus is that although their sheer poetry and dramatic imagination do not approach the dramatic heights that Shakespeare achieved, Davenport was clearly a master of convincing characterization and had the ability to keep the action of his plays moving at a goodly pace. He is especially admired for his ribald subplots that served the dual purpose of diverting his audiences and on amplifying prominent traits exhibited by his major characters.