Re-examining the Date of William Rowley's All's Lost by Lust

Abstract

Following G.E. Bentley’s The Jacobean and Caroline Stage, scholars normally date William Rowley’s tragedy All’s Lost by Lust to 1619-20. Re-examining the evidence shows Bentley’s interpretation was faulty: the play could date to any point between 1611 and 1621, although similarities with other plays suggest that it was most likely written toward the latter end of that spectrum. Broader possibilities for the play’s date help us to recognize overlooked connections among Rowley’s plays, illuminate Christopher Beeston’s relationship with the playing companies at the Phoenix playhouse, and facilitate the dating of some fragmentary playlists from the revels office.