William Rowley - Plays By Rowley

Plays By Rowley

Rowley's canon is plagued by uncertainty and by the complexities of collaboration: the following is only an approximate guide.

• All's Lost by Lust (performed 1618-19; printed 1633)
• The Birth of Merlin; or, The Child Hath Found its Father (performed 1622; printed 1662). The title page claims William Shakespeare as Rowley's co-writer, but this claim is disputed.
• The Changeling (performed 1622; printed 1653). Co-written with Thomas Middleton.
• A Cure for a Cuckold (performed 1624; printed 1661). Co-written with John Webster.
• A Fair Quarrel (performed 1614-17; printed 1617). Co-written with Thomas Middleton.
• Fortune by Land and Sea (performed c.1607; printed 1655). Co-written with Thomas Heywood.
• The Maid in the Mill (performed 1623; printed 1647). Co-written with John Fletcher.
• A Match at Midnight (performed c.1622; printed 1633). Attributed only to 'W. R.', and stylistic analysis suggests that it may not be by Rowley.
• A New Wonder, a Woman Never Vexed (performed 1610-14; printed 1632). Possibly a collaboration; George Wilkins and Thomas Heywood have been suggested as co-writers.
• The Old Law, or A New Way to Please You (performed 1618; printed 1656). Co-written with Thomas Middleton, and, possibly, a third collaborator who may have been Philip Massinger or Thomas Heywood.
• A Shoemaker a Gentleman (date of composition unknown; printed 1638)
• The Spanish Gypsy (performed 1623; printed 1653). Although the title page attributes this play to Rowley and Thomas Middleton, stylistic analysis favours a different playwriting team: John Ford and Thomas Dekker.
• The Thracian Wonder (date of composition unknown; printed 1661). The title page attributes this play to Rowley and John Webster although few readers accept Webster's presence.
• The Travels of the Three English Brothers (performed and printed 1607). Co-written with George Wilkins and John Day.
• Wit at Several Weapons (performed c.1615; printed 1647). Although it was first printed as part of the Beaumont and Fletcher folio, stylistic analysis suggests that this play was heavily revised by Rowley and Thomas Middleton.
• The Witch of Edmonton (performed 1621; published 1658). Co-written with John Ford and Thomas Dekker.
• The World Tossed at Tennis (performed and printed 1620). Co-written with Thomas Middleton.