Richard Edwards



Richard Edwardes (1523? - 1566) was an English poet and playwright; he was made a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and was master of the singing boys. He was known for his comedies and interludes, but was also rumoured to be an illegitimate son of Henry VIII.

In 1566, Edwardes' Palamon and Arcite was performed before Elizabeth I at Oxford when the stage fell &mdash; three people died and five were injured as a result. Despite the tragic accident, the show continued to play that night.

Damon and Pythias (written in 1564, published in 1571), a comedy, is his only extant play.

Ten of Edwardes' poems appear in the first edition of the Paradise of Dainty Devices, though publisher Henry Disle says the poems are "written for the most part by M. [Master] Edwards." Edwardes possibly compiled the manuscript on which the Paradise of Dainty Devices is based.