Kyd, Thomas

Kyd, << kihd, >> Thomas (1558-1594), was an English playwright who greatly influenced the development of Elizabethan drama. He wrote the most popular English tragedy of the 1500’s, The Spanish Tragedy (1580’s).

In The Spanish Tragedy, Kyd created a new style of drama by blending elements of classical Roman tragedy with the lively but crude popular drama of his day. He based this form on that of the revenge play, which was developed by Seneca, a Roman philosopher and dramatist. In a revenge play, a main character seeks vengeance for a crime. The Spanish Tragedy is the story of a nobleman’s revenge for his murdered son. In the drama, Kyd also used such classical elements as a ghost, much bloodshed and violence, and formal poetic language.

Kyd was born in London in November 1558 and died in 1594, probably in August.