The University Wits & Important Facts

A Brief Introduction

The second period of the Elizabethan drama was dominated by The University Wits‘. They were a professional set of literary men. The University wits were the men from the university of Oxford’ and ‘Cambridge’. They are John Lyly, Thomas Kyd, George Peele, Thomas Lodge, Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe. Of these, Marlowe was the central sun and round him revolved such minor stars as Lyly, Peele Lodge, Greene and Nashe.

Important Facts to Remember

1. The University wits prepared the ground for Shakespeare and made notable contribution to the growth of drama during the Elizabethan Age.

2. Marlow’s contribution in the field of tragedies was great. Marlowe laid emphasis on the tragic hero. His Dr. Fautus’, Tamburlaine’, ‘Jew of Maltes’, ‘Edward II’ great tragedies. It has rightly been said about him that ‘Marlowe paved the way, Shakespeare perfected it.”

3. The University wits made definite improvement in plot, construction and in the art of characterization.

4. Greene showed the way to Shakespeare in the art of plot construction.

5. Marlowe and Lyly made advances in the presentation of characters. In this respect Lyly’s contribution was in the field of romantic comedies.

6. Thomas Kyd’s one of the University wits. His “The Spanish Tragedy” is the most important.

7. Shakespeare not only adopts the technique of Blank Verse, prose and songs.