John Fletcher - Rule a Wife, and Have a Wife: "Love's tongue is in his eyes"

The life of John Fletcher reveals a transition from aspiring churchman to prominent playwright in Jacobean London. After a brief academic stint at Cambridge, he embraced the vibrant world of commercial theatre, initially struggling with his adaptation of The Faithful Shepherdess. However, his collaboration with John Beaumont on Philaster marked a turning point, leading to widespread acclaim and establishing Fletcher's reputation alongside Shakespeare's. By his death in 1625, he had written nearly fifty plays, solidifying his legacy in the theatrical landscape of the time.