(About Thomas Lodge: one of the University wits - studied at Oxford - a play Wright, poet, prose writer and doctor - His Defence of Poetry, Music and Stage Plays as a reply to Gosson's attack on stage plays in School of Abuse - His best known play Rosalynde as the plot for Shakespear's As You Like It.)
1. Rosalynde (1590):
A pastoral romance written in the style of Lyly's Euphues - full title, Rosalynde, Euphues' Golden Legacy - derived from the Tale of Gamelyn - later dramatized by Shakespeare in As You Like It- Summary of the play: In the city of Bordeaux, Sir John, a Knight of Malta leaves his wealthy Estate to his three sons Saladyne, Fernadyne and Rosader equally but Saladyne steals off everything and makes Rosader, though a wrestler, a slave. When Torismond, king of France announces a wrestling match, Saladyne plans to defeat and kill Rosader in the match. But Rosader, falling in love with Rosalynde, daughter of old usurped king defeats the wrestler. Rosader is again put in fetters by Saladyne and anyhow escapes into the Forest of Arden and to the same forest come Rosalyne disguised as Ganymede, a male and Alinda, daughter of Torismond disguised as Aliena, a woman of low status because they have been banished by the King. In the same forest of Arden, the shepherd Montanus falls in love with Phebe, the fairest shepherdess who but loves Ganymede (Rosalinde). Saladyne who comes to forest in search of his brother is rescued by Rosader from a lion and later the two ladies are saved by Rosader while attacked by rogues. Rosader gets wounded and Saladyne comes for rescue and Alinda falls in love with him. Finally the play ends with the marriage of three couples : Rosalynde and Rosader, Alinda and Saladyne, and Montanus and Phebe.
2. The Wounds of Civil War(1594):
A historical and biographical drama resembling Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great - based on the civil war between Marius heading an aristocratic political group and Sulla heading a democratic political group covering a period of ten years (88 b.c to 78 b.c) over the leadership of Roman Campaigne against Mithridates, the ruler of Pontic Kingdom.
Other Plays of Thomas Lodge:
1. An Alarum Against Usurers (1584)
2. Scillas Metamorphosis (1589)
3. A Margarite of America (1596)
4. A Looking Glass for London and England (1594) in collaboration with Greene
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