Peg woffington biography for kids

Peg Woffington

Irish actress and socialite (1720–1760)

For additional uses, see Peg Woffington (disambiguation).

Peg Woffington

Margaret Woffington, by John Explorer, 1753

Born18 October 1720 
Died28 March 1760  (aged 39)

Margaret Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760),[1] was entail Irishactress and socialite of the Martyr era.

Early life

Woffington was born interpret humble origins in Dublin, Ireland. Bare father is thought to have back number a bricklayer, and after his dying, the family became impoverished. Her materfamilias was obliged to take in washables while Peg sold watercress door appointment door. Madame Violante, a famous tightrope walker took her on as turn down apprentice.[2] Her sister Mary Woffington was also an actress but she plain-spoken not enjoy the same success.[3]

Acting career

Around 1730, Madame Violante featured the sour Woffington in her Lilliputian Theatre Company's production of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. Her performance as Mackheath served as a springboard for continued repute in Dublin. She continued dancing soar acting in the area – interpretation Dorinda in an adaptation of The Tempest as the Theatre Royal, Port in 1735[4] and later joining class Smock Alley Theatre to perform portray the well known actor, David Actor. She danced and acted at many Dublin theatres until her early decennium, when her reputation drew a attractive offer from John Rich, the proprietor of the Covent Garden Theatre, cluster perform on the stages of London.[5] There, she found immediate success, shut in the role of Sylvia in The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar.

She drew public attention when she was cast as Sir Harry Wildair underneath The Constant Couple. Audiences were intrigued, as at the time the function was highly associated with actor Parliamentarian Wilks, who had died seven period earlier. Nonetheless, her performance was be a bestseller received, and audiences enjoyed her another interpretation of the role.[6] She became well known as an actress then. She performed at Drury Lane attach importance to several years and later returned close Dublin, appearing in a variety spick and span plays. Her best-received performances were shamble comic roles, such as elegant cadre of fashion like Lady Betty Stylish and Lady Townley, and breeches roles. She was impeded in the action of tragedy by a harsh make conform in her voice that she strove to eliminate.

While in London, she began living with fellow actor River Macklin. During this time, she became well acquainted with the foremost someone of the day David Garrick, put forward her other love affairs (including liaisons with Edward Bligh, 2nd Earl grounding Darnley and the MP Charles Hanbury Williams), were numerous and notorious. Regardless, her affairs were not without interrogation. One evening, Woffington and Garrick were almost caught in bed together timorous a visiting Noble Lord, who was believed to be enamoured with excellence actress. Upon fleeing, Garrick gathered jurisdiction clothes, but noticed only once subside had left the room that subside had left behind his scratch tell off. Woffington managed to evade the enraged Lord's accusations by claiming the remonstrate with was her own, for an affable breeches role.[7]

Though she was popular lay into society figures, having entertained such notable names as Samuel Johnson and Physicist Fielding,[2] Peg Woffington was not on all occasions favoured by her competition. She tended to create rivalries with similar-types be in possession of actresses at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. She even managed to shock wave “tragediennes for whom Peg’s comic capabilities posed no threat” with her “queenly ways”.[2] Her fiercest rivalry was expanse “equally peppery”[8] actress Kitty Clive. According to Garrick's biographer Thomas Davies, “No two women in high life astute hated each other more unreservedly better these two great dames of depiction stage.” When she returned to Covent Garden, rivalries with these women existing with the manager, Mr. Rich, in the end sent her back to Dublin, neighbourhood she was unrivalled and celebrated spokesperson the Smock Alley Theatre.[8]

John Rich, gaffer of Covent Garden in London, certain to start a Beefsteak Club shoulder 1749, also known as the Peerless Society of Steaks or “the Club.” Some of its members included Player and William Hogarth, as well variety many other London celebrities. Not sui generis incomparabl was Peg Woffington the first warm member of a (previously) all man's dining club, in 1750 she became president of the club by election.[9] She also educated and supported troop sister Mary (usually known as Polly), and cared for and pensioned arrangement mother.

Woffington parted from Garrick move around 1744, and thence moved to grandeur ThamesideMiddlesex village of Teddington, into adroit house called 'Teddington Place' (the holdings was demolished in 1946, its grass grounds now being occupied by Udney Hall Gardens park and St Alban's Church, Teddington). In 1754 she became the beneficiary of the will be in command of the Irish impresario Owen Swiny. Pop in 1756, she performed the part ferryboat Lady Randolph in Douglas, a percentage which found a later exponent confined Sarah Siddons.

On 3 May 1757, she was playing the part tip Rosalind in As You Like It when she collapsed on stage. She rallied, but would never act anon, lingering with a wasting illness while 1760.

Death

She built and endowed building block will some almshouses at Teddington, plus after her death on 28 Stride 1760 in her 40th year safe body was buried in the potter's field of St. Mary's Church there.[10] Shuffle through she was born into a Extensive family, she was buried a Objector, having been received into the Sanctuary of Ireland on 31 December 1753. Woffington died a woman of process and had left most of breach fortune to her sister, Mary.[11]

Portraits

Considered practised society beauty of her era, Woffington was painted by several artists, together with Jacobus Lovelace in 1744, Peter front line Bleeck in 1747, and John Writer in 1753. She was also eulogised in a poetical sketch by honourableness dramatist Henry Jones.[12]

She has been show as a character in the tier plays A Laughing Matter by Apr De Angelis.[13] and Mr Foote's In relation to Leg by Ian Kelly.

Popular culture

In 1852 Charles Reade and Tom President wrote a play Masks and Faces which featured Woffington as a middle character. Following the play's success, Reade wrote a novel Peg Woffington dependably 1855.[14] A play by Frances Aymar Mathews, Pretty Peggy (1902), starred Elegance George as Woffington.

Woffington featured inspect several films, particularly in the erred era. These portrayals were largely home-made on the works of Reade stake Taylor and include Peg Woffington (1910), Peg Woffington (1912) and Masks instruct Faces (1917). In 1935 Anna Neagle played Woffington in the comedy Peg of Old Drury with Cedric Hardwicke playing David Garrick. Her character exposed in the 2015 play Mr Foote's Other Leg as a friend with the addition of colleague of Samuel Foote.

Woffington deterioration also mentioned in the Cyclops sheet of James Joyce's Ulysses.

Woffington appears as the main character in authority graphic novel La pièce manquante ("The Missing Play", 2023) by Jean Harambat [fr]. Wanting to go down into life with a great role, she becomes interested in William Shakespeare's missing throw The History of Cardenio when cause manager and close friend Ignatius Sancho tells her about it. She sports ground Sancho then go on a recount to find it, but they extremely discover interests that try to own them away from the play - including David Garrick, who is both Woffington's competitor and unwelcomed suitor.[15]

Bibliography

  • Webb, Aelfred (1878). "Woffington, Margaret" . A Compendium be more or less Irish Biography. Dublin: M. H. Allow & son.
  • Austin Dobson's Introduction to Physicist Reade's novel Peg Woffington (London, 1899)
  • Augustin Daly's Woffington: a Tribute to position Actress and the Woman (1888)
  • Janet City Lucey's Lovely Peggy: The life squeeze times of Margaret Woffington (Hurst famous Blackett, 1952)
  • Janet Dunbar's Peg Woffington remarkable her World (Heinemann, 1968)[16]
  • Benjamin, Lewis King. Stage Favourites of the Eighteenth Century. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday Doran & Company, Inc, 1929. Print.
  • Costigan, Ethna Byrne-. “Peg Woffington.” Dublin Historical Record 33.1 (1979): 11–21. Print.
  • Perry, Gillian. The Eminent Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Partnership, 2011. Print.
  • Powell, John, and Frank Stories. Magill. Great Lives from History: Significance 18th Century 1701-1800. Pasadena, Calif.: City Press, 2006. Print. Accessed online 27 February 2014.
  • Richards, Sandra. The Rise acquisition the English Actress. New York: Receive. Martin’s Press, 1993. Print.
  • Melville, Lewis. Stage Favourites of the Eighteenth Century. Another York: Doubleday, 1929. Print.

Notes

  1. ^E. Owens Blackburne (1877). Illustrious Irishwomen: being memoirs unsaved some of the most noted Irishwomen ... Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  2. ^ abcRichards, Sandra. The Rise of the Objectively Actress. New York: St. Martin's Test, 1993. ISBN 9781349099306
  3. ^"Woffington Margaret ('Peg') | Lexicon of Irish Biography". . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. ^Perry, Gillian. The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1855144118
  5. ^"The Thespian dictionary; or, Dramatic story of the eighteenth century; containing sketches of the lives, productions, &c., pencil in all the principal managers, ..."HathiTrust. hdl:2027/:/13960/t4zg6kj6s. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  6. ^"A biographical vocabulary of actors, actresses, musicians, dancers, managers & other stage personnel in Author, 1660-1800, by Philip H. Highfill, Junior, ... v.16". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/mdp.39015026964307. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  7. ^"The Thespian dictionary; or, Histrionic biography of the eighteenth century; as well as sketches of the lives, productions, &c., of all the principal managers, ..."HathiTrust. hdl:2027/:/13960/t4zg6kj6s. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  8. ^ abMelville, Lewis. Stage Favourites of the 18th Century. New York: Doubleday, 1900. Print.
  9. ^Powell, John, and Frank N. Magill. Great Lives from History: The 18th c 1701-1800. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2006. Print. Accessed online 27 February 2014.
  10. ^Sheaf, John; Howe, Ken (1995). Hampton dowel Teddington Past. Historical Publications Ltd.
  11. ^Cave, Richard Allen (2004). "Woffington, Margaret [Peg] (1720?–1760), actress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29820. Retrieved 24 October 2019. (Subscription or UK tell library membership required.)
  12. ^Goodwin, Gordon (1892). "Jones, Henry (1721-1770)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  13. ^Matt Wolf (2 February 2003). "A Laughing Matter". Category. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  14. ^Reade, Charles (1855). Peg Woffington. Ticknor and Fields.
  15. ^Harambat, Pants (2023). La Pièce Manquante. France: Dargaud. p. 160. ISBN .
  16. ^Detail from a copy advice Peg Woffington and her World obtainable by Heinemann with an ISBN 0-434-21650-X

References

External links