- Born:
- Nov. 6, 1671, London, Eng.
- Died:
- Dec. 11, 1757, London (aged 86)
- Title / Office:
- poet laureate (1730-1757)
Colley Cibber
-
Who was Colley Cibber?
Colley Cibber (1671ā1757) was an English actor, playwright, and poet laureate. His career began in 1690 with Thomas Betterton's company at the Drury Lane Theatre.
Cibber gained recognition as both an actor and playwright with Loveās Last Shift (1696), considered the first sentimental comedy. He wrote comedies of manners, including She Wouād, and She Wouād Not (1702) and The Careless Husband (1704).
In 1710, Cibber became part of a "triumvirate" of actor-managers at Drury Lane Theatre. His support for the Whig cause through playwriting led to his appointment as poet laureate in 1730. Cibber was the target of personal and political attacks, and Alexander Pope satirized him in The Dunciad.
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What was Colley Cibber known for in the theater world?
Colley Cibber was an English actor, playwright, and theatre manager, known for his significant contributions to the English stage. His 1696 play, Loveās Last Shift, is considered the first sentimental comedy, a prevalent dramatic form for nearly a century.
Cibber was part of a famous "triumvirate" of actor-managers at Drury Lane Theatre, which prospered under their leadership. He also adapted Shakespeare's Richard III, which remained the preferred acting version until 1871. In 1730, he was appointed poet laureate.
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What popular plays did Colley Cibber write or act in?
Colley Cibber was an English actor, playwright, and theatre manager. In 1690, he started his acting career with Thomas Bettertonās company at the Drury Lane Theatre.
Cibber wrote Loveās Last Shift (1696), which helped establish his reputation as both an actor and a playwright, and he acted in its sequel, The Relapse (1696), written by Sir John Vanbrugh. Cibber also wrote other comedies of manners, including She Wouād, and She Wouād Not (1702) and The Careless Husband (1704). In 1700, he produced his famous adaptation of Shakespeareās Richard III, which remained the preferred acting version until 1871. Cibber made his final stage appearance on February 15, 1745, in his own adaptation of Shakespeareās King John.
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How did Colley Cibber influence English drama during his time?
Colley Cibber significantly shaped English drama as an actor, playwright, and theatre manager. His play Loveās Last Shift (1696) is considered the first sentimental comedy, which influenced the English stage for almost a century.
Cibber's adaptation of Shakespeareās Richard III was the preferred acting version until 1871. As part of a triumvirate, he managed the Drury Lane Theatre, and he also wrote politically motivated plays, earning him the post of poet laureate in 1730. Despite being a target of personal and political attacks, Cibber's contributions left a lasting impact on the theatre of his time.
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What does it mean that Colley Cibber was Poet Laureate, and why was this important?
Colley Cibber, born in London in 1671, was an English actor, playwright, and theatre manager, who became poet laureate in 1730. The title of poet laureate was first granted in England in the 17th century to honor poetic excellence. The holder of this office became a member of the British royal household. Cibber gained this honor for his skill and energy in writing and adapting plays supporting the Whig cause after the death of Queen Anne. Though the post has become free of specific poetic duties, it remains a salaried position. Cibber held the position until his death in 1757.
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How did Colley Cibberās works and personality lead to both fame and criticism in his era?
Colley Cibber achieved fame as an English actor, playwright, theatre manager, and even poet laureate, but his career was marked by both success and controversy. His play Loveās Last Shift (1696) is considered the first sentimental comedy, which was a popular form of drama for nearly a century.
Cibber's fame also drew criticism. He was described as tactless, rude, and supremely self-confident, making him the target of personal and political attacks. Alexander Pope satirized Cibber in The Dunciad, and Cibber's response further fueled the controversy. Despite the criticism, Cibber's adaptation of Richard III held the stage for many years, and his autobiography remains an invaluable resource for understanding the theatre of his time.
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Colley Cibber (born Nov. 6, 1671, London, Eng.ādied Dec. 11, 1757, London) was an English actor, theatre manager, playwright, and poet laureate of England, whose play Loveās Last Shift; or, The Fool in Fashion (1696) is generally considered the first sentimental comedy, a form of drama that dominated the English stage for nearly a century. His autobiography, An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber (1740), contains the best account of the theatre of his day and is an invaluable study of the art of acting as it was practiced by his contemporaries.
A well-educated son of the sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber, he began his acting career in 1690 with Thomas Bettertonās company at the Drury Lane Theatre, London. Marrying three years later and finding his earnings as an actor inadequate, he wrote Loveās Last Shift to provide himself with a role; the play established his reputation both as actor and as playwright. The playwright Sir John Vanbrugh honoured it with a sequel, The Relapse: or, Virtue in Danger (1696), in which Cibberās character Sir Novelty Fashion has become Lord Foppington, a role created by Cibber. In 1700 Cibber produced his famous adaptation of Shakespeareās Richard III, which held the stage as the preferred acting version of that play until the original version was restored by the actor Henry Irving in 1871. Cibberās adaptation was notable for such Shakespearean-sounding lines as āOff with his headāso much for Buckingham!ā and āConscience, avaunt, Richardās himself again!ā Cibber also wrote other comedies of manners, including She Wouād, and She Wouād Not (1702) and The Careless Husband (1704).
At this time Cibber entered upon a series of complex intrigues to obtain a position in theatre management. By 1710 he was, with Robert Wilks and Thomas Doggett (the latter soon to be replaced by Barton Booth), one of a famous ātriumvirateā of actor-managers under which Drury Lane Theatre conspicuously prospered.
After the death of Queen Anne, Cibber entered the political arena, writing and adapting plays (notably The Non-Juror, in 1717, from MoliĆØreās Tartuffe) in support of the Whig cause, with a skill and energy that in 1730 led to his appointment as poet laureate. In 1728 he completed The Provokād Husband, a play left unfinished by Vanbrugh at his death in 1726. Anne Oldfield, Cibberās leading actress, died in 1730; and Wilks, his first partner in management, died in 1733. The next year Cibber announced his retirement from management. Nevertheless, he did not make his final stage appearance until Feb. 15, 1745, when he played in his own adaptation of Shakespeareās King John.
Tactless, rude, and supremely self-confident, Cibber was the target of many attacks, both personal and political. In the 1743 edition of Alexander Popeās satirical poem The Dunciad, Cibber was elevated to the doubtful eminence of hero. He responded with spirit, publishing three letters attacking Pope that, according to Dr. Johnson, caused the latter poet to writhe in anguish.