Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Ralph Roister Doister
References
Britannica AI Icon

Ralph Roister Doister

play by Udall
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Ralph Roister Doister is recognized as the first English comedy, written by Nicholas Udall around 1553. Udall, a playwright and schoolmaster, likely wrote the play for his students at Westminster School to perform.12

The play's plot centers on a boastful soldier, Ralph Roister Doister, who believes all women are attracted to him. He is flattered by a parasite and ultimately revealed to be a coward. This narrative structure is inspired by the Roman playwright Plautus's play Miles Gloriosus. However, the incidents, characters, and language are distinctly English, marking a transition from medieval morality plays to English comedy.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. Nicholas Udall
  2. school drama

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.