Renaissance Drama · English Literature

The 'War of the Theatres' (Poetomachia) was a literary feud involving which two primary playwrights?

  1. William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
  2. Ben Jonson and Thomas Dekker/John Marston
  3. John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont, co-authors of tragicomedies
  4. Thomas Heywood and Philip Massinger, rivals in civic pageant writing
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Correct answer: Ben Jonson and Thomas Dekker/John Marston

This rivalry took place between 1599 and 1602, played out through satirical characters in plays. Jonson mocked the 'hack' writing of his rivals, while they retorted by satirizing Jonson's arrogance and pedantry.

Difficulty: Medium Question 10 of 20

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