Here are a few Renaissance Playwrights that are worthy of recognition. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) - His first play was the two-part Tamburlaine the Great (1587-88). Another famous play that he wrote was The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (1588-89). William Shakespeare (1564-1616) – He was the greatest Renaissance Playwright ever. He wrote Apprentice Plays, Romantic Comedies, History Plays, Tragedies, Problem Plays or Bitter Comedies, Political Plays, and Romances. He wrote at least 31 plays or more. Some of his most famous are Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and more. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) – He was the one who was most compared and contrasted with Shakespeare. He wrote humour comedies, intrigue comedies, and satiric comedies, all of which are marked by a characteristic blend of savagery and humor, of moral feeling and the grim relish of the monstrous absurdities of human nature. He also produced two tragedies on Roman themes. Other playwrights are George Chapman (1559-1634), John Marston (d. 1634), Thomas Heywood (1570-1641), Thomes Dekker (1575-1626), Cyril Tourneur (1575-1670), Thomas Middleton (1570-1627), Frances Beaumont (1584-1616), John Fletcher ( 1579-1625), Philip Massinger (15B3-1640), John Ford (1596-1666), and James Shirley (1596-1666).
