Thomas Kyd is best known for The Spanish Tragedy. This innovative drama, written around 1587, was the first popular blank verse drama on the English stage. Centred on the themes of revenge and injustice, it inspired the work of generations of playwrights including William Shakespeare.
Kyd was baptised in London on 6 November 1558. His father, Francis Kyd, was a Writer of the Court Letter. It was a profession commonly referred to as a scrivener or, pejoratively, noverint. Francis, who was Warden of the Scrivener's Company in 1580, his wife Anna and Thomas lived in Lombard Street in the thriving middle class business district around St Paul's Cathedral.
In 1565, Kyd began attendance at Merchant Taylors's School. This was run by Richard Mulcaster and counted Edmund Spenser and Thomas Lodge amongst its attendees. Mulcaster's ideas...
2185 words
Citation: Owens, Rebekah . "Thomas Kyd". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 January 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2575, accessed 09 June 2026.]
