Robert Greene Criticism
Robert Greene (1558–1592) was a notable English playwright, author, and poet of the Elizabethan era. Though widely read in his time, Greene is most commonly remembered today for his influence on Shakespeare. His romantic comedies contributed to the evolution of English drama, moving it away from didacticism. Notably, Greene's Pandosto served as Shakespeare's source for The Winter's Tale, and there is ongoing debate about his potential contributions to Henry VI. Greene was part of the "university wits," a group of professional writers including Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe, and he often wrote for the public rather than the court.
Greene's literary output was both varied and prolific. Initially, he wrote in the ornate euphuistic style of John Lyly, but later shifted to more realistic narratives and romances. His famous plays, such as The Honorable Historie of Frier Bacon and Frier Bungay and The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth, Slaine at Fodden, are celebrated for their innovative narratives. Greene also gained notoriety for his 'conny-catching' pamphlets, which explored the world of Elizabethan criminals. These works, as examined by critics like Chandler and Aydelotte, blurred the lines between fact and fiction and influenced later dramatists.
Despite Greene's reputation for living a life of excess, leading to his early death, his works reflect a deep engagement with themes of repentance and morality. As Helgerson notes, his narratives often portray a trajectory from prodigality to repentance. Greene's portrayal of women, particularly in works like Mamillia, earned him the moniker "the Homer of women" from Nashe, and his romantic heroines, as Dean argues, are significant for their shared knowledge and power, contributing to comic resolutions in his plays.
Critics have been divided on Greene's legacy. Some see him as a mere literary hack, while others, like Larson and Morris Dickinson, praise his rich and nuanced treatment of human experience. Greene's work, including his narrative strategies in The Defence of Conny-Catching, demonstrates his skill in depicting the complexities of human nature, often with a sympathetic lens that implicates societal influences on individual actions.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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The Age of Elizabeth
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Tuckerman provides a brief overview of Greene's life and a few of his major works.
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Lyly's Legatees
(summary)
In the essay below—first published in 1890 and reprinted in 1908, Jusserand compares and contrasts Greene's works to those of Lyly and discusses the plots of several of Greene's stories including Pandosto, which was used by Shakespeare in writing The Winter's Tale.
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Conny-Catching Pamphlets
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Chandler examines Greene's 'conny-catching' tales of the underworld and their influence on his fellow dramatists.
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The Rogue Pamphlets
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Aydelotte offers an overview of Greene's 'conny-catching' pamphlets and discusses whether they should be regarded as fact or as fiction.
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From Sir Thomas Malory to Sir Francis Bacon
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Whiteford examines several of Greene's euphuistic novels and finds an increasing emphasis on autobiographical elements from one to the next.
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Robert Greene's Romantic Heroines: Caught Up in Knowledge and Power?
(summary)
In the following essay Dean examines Greene's portrayals of heroines in his works and responds to various criticisms regarding their characterization. This essay seeks redress against the defamation of Greene's characterization, and intends to show how his dramatic heroines are important in that they share in the knowledge of Fate and the power of Love, and become romantic instruments of comic resolution.
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Robert Greene's Ciceronis Amor: Fictional Biography in the Romance Genre
(summary)
Below, Larson examines Ciceronis Amor: Tullies Love, surveying its literary context, early popularity, and emphasis on friendship.
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Greene
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Helgerson describes the conflicting forces found in Greene's fiction and examines the progression of his writings from prodigality to repentance.
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The Narrative Strategies of Robert Greene's Cony-Catching Pamphlets
(summary)
In the following essay, Relihan discusses the significance of the complex narrative approach of The Defence of Conny-Catching.
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The Age of Elizabeth
(summary)
- Further Reading