John Webster

John Webster (1580?–1632?) was an English dramatist, born in London around 1580 and died around 1632. Public information about his life is limited, and many details of his career remain uncertain, so later readers have chiefly come to know him through his works. He is known for the tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are regarded as the finest English tragedies of the seventeenth century apart from Shakespeare. Their subjects often involve court intrigue, desire, and death, and their style is dark and grave, with language rich in imagery and tension. He also co-wrote several plays with Thomas Dekker and others, and a collection titled Webster & Tourneur has come down to us.