Thomas Goffe - His Work

His Work

Thomas Goffe was an active playwright during his days at Christ Church. Since it is unknown the order in which his plays were written, scholars believe that his first play was most likely The Raging Turk, also titled Bajazet II. The play is a tragedy and was produced at Christ Church circa 1613-1618. However, the play was published after his death in 1631. Goffe’s second play in believed to be The Tragedy of Orestes which was produced circa 1613-1618 and published in 1633. His final play produced at the Christ Church was The Courageous Turk, or Amurath the First. It was produced on 21 September 1618 and published in 1632. All of his plays were published in 1 volume as Three Excellent Tragedies in 1656.

There is no evidence available to verify the dates of these three plays. However, the structure, crude dialogue, and the use of, Richard Knolles’s The General Historie of the Turkes as a source of inspiration, suggest that The Raging Turk is Goffe’s first play. Furthermore, Goffe's The Courageous Turk, contains a few lines from the prologue that imply this was the third play to be acted in front of Christ Church. The lines are as follows:

"Our hope which intends,/ The sacred Muses Progeny to greet,/ Which under roofe, now the third time meet…"

The Raging Turk is a tragedy of Emperor Bajazet II, who is desperately trying to hold onto his power. However, plotting sons, and an usurping brother prevent him from doing so. While trying to prevent his successor, confusion consumes the people, and leads to the death of at least 16 lives. The end of the play resolves with Bajazet being poisoned, and his grandson Solyman is crowned emperor. Many scholars believe in this play, “Goffe appears to be fascinated with the reputed evil of the Turks and their insatiable greed.

The Tragedy of Orestes is the story of Aegisthus’s murder of Agamemnon with Clytemnestra’s help. Orestes, unsure of who murdered his father, asks the help of his good friend, Plyades. Together, the two of them dress in disguise and let it be rumored that they have killed themselves by jumping off a cliff. Orestes is told that if he brings his fathers bones to a magic woman named Canidia, she will reveal his father’s murderer. When the truth is revealed, Orestes kills the baby born of Aegisthus and his mother and forces the parents to drink the child’s blood. After Aegisthus and Clytemnestra are killed on stage, Orestes is denied the crown and banished. Eventually, Orestes and Pylades die by running on each other’s sword.

The Courageous Turk breaks into two parts. The first part is concerned with Amurath’s passion for his concubine Eumorphe, his officers’ discontent with Amurath’s affair, and death of Eumorphe. The second part contains a series of events consisting of Amurath’s various war exploits in Servia, the Christians’ martial confusion, the marriage of Amurath’s son Bajazet to Hatam, Amurath’s conflict with his son-in-law Aladin, the mutual stabbing deaths of Amurath and the Christian Capitan Cobelitz, and the raising of Bajazet to Emperor with the subsequent death of his brother Jacup.