George Peele
George Peele was an English playwright and poet who studied at Oxford University before embarking on a career in writing for the stage. Known for his patriotic occasional poems, such as "Polyhymnia," "The Honour of the Garter," and "Anglorum Feriae," he seemed to have connections to courtly society. His play "The Arraignment of Paris" was notably performed for Queen Elizabeth I, underscoring his prominence during his lifetime. Despite his initial success, the assessment of Peele's body of work poses challenges due to missing pieces and uncertainties regarding his collaborations with other playwrights.
Peele's dramatic abilities evolved over time, with works like "David and Bethsabe" and "The Old Wives' Tale" being recognized as among his finest. His storytelling often favored spectacle and lyrical expression over character development, leading to a distinct style characterized by rich poetic language. Although his later years were marked by hardship, his legacy persisted through anecdotes that reflected his role as a public figure and entertainer. Peele's influence extended to later writers, including John Milton, particularly in his explorations of pastoral themes and magical narratives.
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George Peele
English playwright and poet
- Born: July 27, 1556 (baptized)
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: November 9, 1596(?)
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
George Peele studied at Oxford University. After leaving the university he wrote for the stage and produced various patriotic occasional poems, of which the best known are Polyhymnia, The Honour of the Garter, and Anglorum Feriae. These poems suggest that he moved in court circles, and the same impression is left by his play The Arraignment of Paris, which was performed before Elizabeth I by the Children of the Chapel Royal.
Assessment of the Peele canon offers many difficulties because some of his works are missing, and the extent of his collaboration with other playwrights is unknown. Peele did improve as a dramatist throughout his career. His latest plays, David and Bethsabe and The Old Wives’ Tale, are generally considered to be his best.
Very little is known about Peele’s life, except that his final days were spent in poverty and sickness. He was evidently very much a public figure in his own day, but although his Oxford education fitted him to be a gentleman, he had difficulty maintaining this social rank. Anecdotes about him abound, and his reputation as a jester survived long after his death. The character George Pieboard (a reference to a baker’s peel or shovel) in the pseudo-Shakespearean comedy The Puritan Widow (1607) doubtless presents him as his contemporaries saw him.
Peele’s dramatic talent was not for depicting character but for spectacle and for the poetic mode. Of his lyrical gifts there can be no doubt, and the songs in his plays have a verbal felicity that is almost Tennysonian. The Arraignment of Paris and The Old Wives’ Tale are successful within their limits precisely because they exist at a gentle and unconstrained pastoral level which allows full scope for lyricism. David and Bethsabe, which draws freely on Samuel and The Song of Solomon, is a notable attempt to present Hebrew pastoral, but the general effect is marred by Peele’s attempts to bring off the more heroic parts of his material in the grand Marlovian manner. There is probably a measure of topical satire in The Old Wives’ Tale, but the merit of the play lies in its deft and impalpable presentation of a tale of magic and spells. It has affinities with Comus (1634), and it is likely that Peele’s work influenced John Milton far more than is generally recognized.
Bibliography
Braunmuller, A. R. George Peele. Boston: Twayne, 1983. An attempt to rebuild Peele’s reputation by noting how thoroughly he studied the folk motifs used in The Old Wives’ Tale and how frequently he rearranged historical facts for The Battle of Alcazar and Edward I to relate those plays to current political concerns.
Clemen, Wolfgang. English Tragedy Before Shakespeare: The Development of Dramatic Speech. Translated by T. S. Dorsch. London: Methuen, 1961. Peele’s five extant plays are analyzed in turn. Emphasis on Peele’s language and the set speeches in his plays.
Dreher, G. K. Samples from the Love of King David and Fair Bethsabe. Chicago: Adams Press, 1980. This unusual brief volume relates passages from the play David and Bethsabe to their biblical sources, followed by commentary on these passages.
Horne, David H. The Life and Minor Works of George Peele. 1952. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1978. A lengthy study of Peele’s life and family backgrounds, with some historical and critical information about the plays. Contains illustrations and references from public records concerning the Peele family. Informative and readable.
Lamb, Mary Ellen. “Old Wives’ Tales, George Peele, and Narrative Abjection.” Critical Survey 14, no. 1 (2002): 28-44. Uses Peele’s play as the focal point for a discussion of the status and representation of old women and old wives’ tales in early modern literature.
Sutton, Dana Ferrin. Oxford Poetry by Richard Eedes and George Peele. New York: Garland, 1995. Peele’s poetry is addressed.