John Webster author page

John Webster biography

John Webster was an English dramatist active during the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods. Precise details of his birth and death are uncertain, but records show he was baptised in 1578.

Webster was the son of a London coachmaker. He is believed to have attended the Merchant Taylors’ School, where he would have received a classical education.

He began his career collaborating with other playwrights, including Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher and William Rowley. These joint works included plays such as Westward Ho (1604), Northward Ho (1605) and A Cure for a Cuckold (c. 1624).

Webster is best known for two major tragedies: The White Devil (first performed in 1612) and The Duchess of Malfi (first performed in 1614). These plays are noted for their dark themes, violent imagery and psychological depth. The Duchess of Malfi, in particular, has remained in the repertory of major theatre companies into the present.

His later plays include The Devil’s Law Case (c. 1617–1619) and Appius and Virginia (c. 1625).

Webster’s last known work was published in the mid-1620s, and references to him cease after this point. The exact year of his death is unknown, though records suggest it occurred after 1628.