John Fletcher (1579-1625)

Solo Plays of Fletcher

  • The Faithful Shepherdess, pastoral (written 1608-9; printed 1609)

  • Valentinian, tragedy (1610-14; 1647)

  • Monsier Thomas, comedy (c. 1610-16; 1639)

  • The Woman's Prize, or The Tamer Tamed, comedy (c. 1611; 1647)

  • Bonduca, tragedy (1611-14; 1647)

  • The Chances, comedy (c. 1613-25; 1647)

  • The Mad Lover, tragicomedy (acted Jan. 5, 1617; 1647)

  • The Loyal Subject, tragicomedy (licensed Nov. 16, 1618; revised c. 1633; 1647)

  • The Humorous Lieutenant, tragicomedy (c. 1619; 1647)

  • Women Pleased, tragicomedy (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • The Island Princess, tragicomedy ( c. 1620; 1647)

  • The Wild Goose Chase, comedy (c. 1621; 1652)

  • The Pilgrim, comedy (c. 1621; 1647)

  • A Wife for a Month, tragicomedy (licensed May 27, 1624; 1647)

  • Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, comedy (licensed Oct. 19, 1624; 1647)

Collaborations

With Francis Beaumont:

  • The Woman Hater, comedy (1606; 1607)

  • Cupid's Revenge, tragedy (c. 1607-12; 1615)

  • Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding, tragicomedy (c. 1609; 1620)

  • The Maid's Tragedy, Tragedy (c. 1609; 1619)

  • A KIng and No King, tragicomedy (1611; 1619)

  • The Captain, comedy (c. 1609-12; 1647)

  • The Scornful Lady, comedy (c. 1613; 1616)

  • The Noble Gentleman, comedy (c. 1613; licensed Feb. 3, 1626; 1647)


With Beaumont and Massinger:

  • Thierry and Theodoret, tragedy (c. 1607?; 1621)

  • The Coxcomb, comedy (c. 1608-10; 1647)

  • Beggar's Bush, comedy (c. 1612-13 revised 1622; 1647)

  • Love's Cure, comedy (c. 1612-13; revised 1625; 1647)

With Massinger:

  • Sir John van Olden Barnavelt, tragedy (August 1619; MS)

  • The Little French Lawyer, comedy (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • A Very Woman, tragicomedy (c. 1619-22; licensed June 6, 1634; 1655)

  • The Custom of the Country, comedy (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • The Double Marriage, tragedy (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • The False One, history (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • The Prophetess, tragicomedy (licensed May 14, 1622; 1647)

  • The Sea Voyage, comedy (licensed June 22, 1622; 1647)

  • The Spanish Curate, comedy (licensed Oct. 24, 1622; 1647)

  • The Lover's Progress or The Wandering Lovers, tragicomedy (licensed Dec. 6, 1623; revised 1634; 1647)

  • The Elder Brother, comedy (c. 1625; 1637)

With Massinger and Field:

  • The Honest Man's Fortune, tragicomedy (1613; 1647)

  • The Queen of Corinth, tragicomedy (c. 1616-18; 1647)

  • The Knight of Malta, tragicomedy (c. 1619; 1647)

With Shakespeare:

  • Henry VIII, history (c. 1613; 1623)

  • The Two Noble Kinsmen, tragicomedy (c. 1613; 1634)

  • Cardenio, (c. 1613)

With Middleton and Rowley:

  • Wit at Several Weapons, comedy (c. 1610-20; 1647)

With Rowley:

  • The Maid in the Mill (licensed aug. 29, 1623; 1647)

With Field:

  • Four Plays, or Moral Representations, in One, morality (c. 1608-13; 1647) (Some assign this play to Fletcher and Beaumont.)

With Massinger, Jonson, and Chapman:

  • Rollo Duke of Normandy, or The Bloody Brother, tragedy (c. 1617; revised 1627-30; 1639)

With Shirley:

  • The Night Walker, or The Little Thief, comedy (c. 1611; 1640)

Uncertain:

  • The Nice Valour, or The Passionate Madman, comedy (c. 1615-25; 1647)

  • The Laws of Candy, tragicomedy (c. 1619-23; 1647)

  • The Fair Maid of the Inn, comedy (licensed Jan. 22, 1626; 1647)

Early Career and Defining Tragicomedy:

Fletcher's early career was marked by a notable failure with his pastoral tragicomedy The Faithful Shepherdess (1608). He attributed its lack of success to the audience's misplaced expectations for the genre. In the play's preface, Fletcher offered a significant definition of tragicomedy:

"A tragicomedy is not so called in respect of mirth and killing, but in respect it wants [i.e., lacks] deaths, which is enough to make it no tragedy; yet brings some near it, which is enough to make it no comedy.”

This definition, along with his later success with plays like Philaster (1609), written in collaboration with Francis Beaumont, solidified Fletcher's position as a pioneer of tragicomedy. The popularity of Philaster marked the beginning of a long and successful partnership with the King's Men, the leading acting company of the time.

Fletcher's Dominance and Influence:

Fletcher's plays, characterized by their wit, intrigue, and focus on romantic and tragicomic elements, achieved immense popularity, rivaling even Shakespeare's during the Jacobean era. His influence extended to Shakespeare's late romances and notably shaped the works of other playwrights.

Post-Restoration Revival and Decline:

Following the reopening of theaters in 1660 after the Commonwealth period, Fletcher's plays experienced a resurgence in popularity. Audiences particularly favored comedies of manners and tragicomedies that foreshadowed the emerging heroic drama. Some of the most revived works included:

  • Tragedies: The Maid's Tragedy and Rollo Duke of Normandy.

  • Tragicomedies: A King and No King, The Humorous Lieutenant, Philaster, and The Island Princess.

  • Comedies: Rule a Wife And Have a Wife, The Chances, The Beggar's Bush, and The Scornful Lady.

However, this renewed interest proved short-lived. By the 18th century, Shakespeare's works surpassed Fletcher's in popularity, leading to a steady decline in performances of his plays. By the early 19th century, only a handful of Fletcher's works, such as The Chances, remained in the theatrical repertoire.

Conclusion:

John Fletcher's impact on English drama is undeniable. He significantly shaped the development of tragicomedy and enjoyed a period of immense popularity during the Jacobean and Restoration eras. However, his works ultimately faded from the mainstream stage, becoming the subject of occasional revivals and scholarly study. His legacy serves as a reminder of the ever-changing tastes of theater audiences and the fluctuating fortunes of even the most celebrated playwrights.