BIO: ELIZABETH CARY (1585-1639)

Elizabeth Cary holds the honor of being known as the first Englishwoman to write an original drama. At the urging of writer John Davies, Cary published The Tragedy of Mariam in 1613. Cary was also the first Englishwoman to write a tragedy and the first to write a history play, The History of the Life, Reign and Death of Edward II (ca. 1627). Cary's other works include various hymns, poems and translations from the languages of French, Spanish, Latin and Hebrew.

Born in Burford Priory, Oxford in 1585, Elizabeth Cary was the sole child of Sir Laurence and Lady Elizabeth Tanfield. Her inclination for learning showed itself in early childhood. When her mother forbid her to read at night, Elizabeth bribed servants for candles.

When was betrothed to Sir Henry Cary when she was 17. The couple lived apart for the first several years of marriage as Henry fought in the Protestant wars against Spain and was captured in 1605. At the demand of her mother-in-law Dame Katherine (Lady Paget), Elizabeth joined her husband's family in 1603. Here, Elizabeth endured cruelties similar to those imposed by her mother. Lady Paget forbid Elizabeth to read and locked her in her room. It is believed that Elizabeth began writing during this period as a substitute for reading. Elizabeth also participated in the literary circle of the countess of Pembroke where she became acquainted with Senecan drama. Using the model of Roman tragedy, Elizabeth wrote and completed The Tragedy of Mariam between 1602-1604.

It was during this period that Elizabeth began to entertain an attraction to Catholicism. Henry Cary was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1622 and moved his family to Dublin where the couple's marriage suffered stress due to religious differences and Henry's persecution of Irish Catholics. Irreconcilable, the couple separated and Elizabeth returned to England in 1625.

In 1626, Elizabeth professed her Catholicism and, when rumor reached the king, was confined to her room for six weeks. In addition, her eleven children were taken away and Henry withdrew his financial support. While in poverty, Cary once again drew up her pen and began to write works that would later be published.

In 1627 the government intervened, forcing Henry to pay his wife's debts. Queen Henrietta Maria reconciled the couple in 1631 . Henry died in 1633 with Elizabeth following in 1639. Elizabeth's legacy was continued by her children, of whom her son Lucius became the secretary of state for Charles I and her daughter Anne, a Benedictine nun, published the first biography about a woman writer, The Lady Falkland: Her Life (ca. 1643-1650), about her mother--a lady of many firsts.