Playwright. A man of independent means thanks to an inheritance, he began writing plays in 1599. His rivalry with Ben Jonson was dubbed "The War of the Theatres", with Jonson lampooning Marston in his plays "Every Man Out of His Humour" and "The Poetaster"; they later became friends and collaborators. Marston, Jonson, and George Chapman were imprisoned in 1605 for their play "Eastward Ho!", which satirized King James I, and after a second prison term (for an unknown offense) in 1608 Marston stopped writing plays. He took religious orders and served as a clergyman until his retirement in 1631. In 1633 he demanded that his name be removed from an unauthorized edition of his plays, which was then reprinted anonymously. The tragicomedy "The Malcontent" (1604) is the only one of Marston's plays that is revived today.
Playwright. A man of independent means thanks to an inheritance, he began writing plays in 1599. His rivalry with Ben Jonson was dubbed "The War of the Theatres", with Jonson lampooning Marston in his plays "Every Man Out of His Humour" and "The Poetaster"; they later became friends and collaborators. Marston, Jonson, and George Chapman were imprisoned in 1605 for their play "Eastward Ho!", which satirized King James I, and after a second prison term (for an unknown offense) in 1608 Marston stopped writing plays. He took religious orders and served as a clergyman until his retirement in 1631. In 1633 he demanded that his name be removed from an unauthorized edition of his plays, which was then reprinted anonymously. The tragicomedy "The Malcontent" (1604) is the only one of Marston's plays that is revived today.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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