Playwright, Poet, Editor. He was England's Poet Laureate from 1715 until his death. Rowe's tragedies "The Fair Penitent" (1703) and "Jane Shore" (1714) were staples of the English repertory for over a century. He also published the first attempt at a critical edition of Shakespeare's plays (1709) and was The Bard's first biographer. Burial was in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey, where an elaborate memorial was dedicated to him in 1742. During renovations in the 1930s Rowe's monument was moved to the Abbey's South Triforium, and is no longer accessible to the public. An inscription on a bench notes the original site.
Playwright, Poet, Editor. He was England's Poet Laureate from 1715 until his death. Rowe's tragedies "The Fair Penitent" (1703) and "Jane Shore" (1714) were staples of the English repertory for over a century. He also published the first attempt at a critical edition of Shakespeare's plays (1709) and was The Bard's first biographer. Burial was in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey, where an elaborate memorial was dedicated to him in 1742. During renovations in the 1930s Rowe's monument was moved to the Abbey's South Triforium, and is no longer accessible to the public. An inscription on a bench notes the original site.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
Inscription
TO THE MEMORY OF
NICHOLAS ROWE,
And his only daughters.
Thy relics, ROWE, to this sad shrine we 'trust,
And near thy Shakespear place thy honour'd buest;
Ah! skill'd next him to draw the tender tear,
For never heart-felt passion's more sincere;
To nobler sentiments to fire the brave,
For never Britain more disdain'd a slave.
Peace to thy gentle shade, and endless rest,
Blest in they genius, in thy love too blest!
And blest that timely from our scene remov'd,
Thy soul enjoys the liberty it lov'd!
To thee so mourn'd in death, so lov'd in life,
The childless mother and the widow'd wife
With tears inscribes this monumental stone
That holes their ashes, and expects her own.
Family Members
Children
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