William Webbe
William Webbe was an English poet and scholar, primarily recognized for his significant contributions to the study of English poetry during the late 16th century. He likely attended St. John's College at Cambridge University, graduating in the early 1570s. Webbe's most notable work, "A Discourse of English Poetry," published in 1586, is regarded as the first important treatise on English poetry, in which he examined the decline of English poetic quality since Chaucer and advocated for a more structured approach to prosody.
Additionally, Webbe's connection to prominent figures such as Edward Sulyard, whose sons he tutored, and Robert Wilmot, a playwright, highlights his involvement in the literary circles of his time. His preface to the 1592 edition of Wilmot's modernized play "Tancred and Gismund" further cements his literary presence. Webbe also acknowledged the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, in his discourse, noting his poetic skills amidst the broader discussions of authorship and literary merit during the Elizabethan era. Though not widely recognized today, Webbe's work reflects his deep engagement with poetry and the classical influences that shaped his perspective.
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William Webbe
- Born: c. 1550
- Died: c. 1591
Biography
Little is certain about William Webbe’s early life, though it is likely that he attended Cambridge University in the 1570’s. He was educated at St. John’s College at Cambridge University, where he received a degree in 1572 or 1573. He is known for the treatise he wrote and published while serving as a tutor to the sons of Edward Sulyard, an Essex squire.
A Discourse of English Poetry, Together with the Author’s Judgment Touching the Reformation of Our English Verse was, upon its 1586 appearance, the first significant publication on English poetry. Webbe argued in this discourse that the relative lack of good English poetry since Chaucer’s day was due to the want of an adequate system of prosody. This discourse was reprinted in J. Haslewood’s Ancient Critical Essays (1811-1815) by E. Arber in 1869, and in Gregory Smith’s Elizabethan Critical Essays in 1904.
Webbe is also remembered for having his letter as the preface to the 1592 edition of Tancred and Gismund by Robert Wilmot. Wilmot was, perhaps, Webbe’s most famous acquaintance. Wilmot was one of the writers of Gismond of Salerne, a play that was performed before Elizabeth I at the Inner Temple in 1567. In 1591, Wilmot modernized this play by converting it into blank verse, a move that Webbe most certainly admired. This modernized edition was renamed Tancred and Gismund and was dedicated to Anne Gray, the wife of Henry Gray. The connection between Webbe and Wilmot is cemented in the fact that in the late 1580’s, Webbe had moved from the Sulyards’ to the house of Henry Gray, Sulyard’s father-in-law.
When researching William Webbe, many references attest to his opinion of Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford. The Earl of Oxford is of historical significance, not only for his contributions in the realm of poetry, but because of the controversy surrounding William Shakespeare, and whether he really existed or not. The Earl of Oxford is one of the men that is argued to possibly have been Shakespeare. In A Discourse of English Poetry, Webbe wrote of the Earl of Oxford: “I may not omit the deserved commendations of many honourable and noble Lords and Gentlemen in Her Majesty’s Court, which, in the rare devices of poetry, have been and yet are most skilful; among whom the right honourable Earl of Oxford may challenge to himself the title of most excellent among the rest.”
Though not an eminent scholar, Webbe had indeed read and studied English poetry and its history extensively and was a devotee of the classics, and of Virgil, in particular.