1606 in literature

• January? – Sir Thomas Craig becomes church procurator. • February... – John Day's satirical play The Isle of Gulls causes a scandal which sends several of the young actors from the Children of the Chapel to prison for short periods. • Spring – Ben Jonson's satirical play Volpone is first performed, by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre in London. • May 27 – The English Parliament passes An Act to Restrain Abuses of Players, tightening censorship controls on public theatre performances, notably in relation to profane oaths. • August 7 – Possible first performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth, with Richard Burbage in the title role, amongst a series of plays presented by the King's Men before Kings James I of England and Christian IV of Denmark (his brother-in-law) at Hampton Court Palace in England. • November 14 – Marc Lescarbot's dramatic poem Théâtre de Neptune is performed at the Habitation at Port-Royal, Nova Scotia, the first theatrical performance in North America. • December 26 (Saint Stephen's Day) – Shakespeare's King Lear is performed at Court before King James I of England. The title role is played by Richard Burbage and the Fool by Robert Armin. ==New books==

Prose • Thomas Dekker • The Double PP • News From Hell • Salvator Fabris – ''Lo Schermo, overo Scienza D'Arme'' • Philemon Holland – The Historie of Twelve Caesars, a translation of Suetonius's De vita Caesarum • Johannes Kepler – De Stella Nova Drama • Anonymous (published) • The Returne from Pernassus, or The Scourge of Simony • Wily Beguiled • Anonymous (probably Thomas Middleton) – ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' • George Chapman • Sir Giles Goosecap (attributed; published) • The Gentleman Usher (published) • ''Monsieur D'Olive'' (published) • John Day – The Isle of Gulls • Lope de Vega • El anzuelo de Fenisa (Fenisa's Hook) • '''' • El gran duque de Moscovia • Ben Jonson • Volpone • Hymenaei • John Marston • The Wonder of Women, or the Tragedy of Sophonisba • Parasitaster, or The Fawn (published) • Thomas Middleton (attributed) – The Puritan, or, The Widow of Watling-Street (probable date) • William Shakespeare • Macbeth (possible first performance) • King Lear (first recorded performance) • Edward Sharpham – The Fleir Poetry • Hieronim Morsztyn – Światowa Rozkosz (Worldly Pleasure) • Jean Passerat (posthumous) – Recueil des œuvres poétiques ==Births==

• February 28 – William Davenant, English poet and dramatist (died 1668) • March 3 – Edmund Waller, English poet (died 1687) • May 12 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art historian (died 1688) • June 6 – Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (died 1684) • Unknown dates • Pierre du Ryer, French dramatist (died 1658) • Junije Palmotić, Ragusan dramatist and poet (died 1657) ==Deaths==

• May 13 (burial) – Arthur Golding, English translator (born c. 1536) • May 17 – Niccolò Orlandini, Italian Jesuit writer (born 1554) • May 30 – Guru Arjan, Sikh Guru and compiler of scriptures (in custody, born 1563) • September 28 – Nicolaus Taurellus, German philosopher and theologian (born 1547) • October 5 – Philippe Desportes, French poet (born 1546) • November 13 – Girolamo Mercuriale, Italian philologist and medical writer (born 1530) • November 20 (burial) – John Lyly, English dramatist, poet and novelist (born c. 1553) • November 22 – Sir Henry Billingsley, English translator (birth year unknown) • Approximate dates • Henry Chettle, English dramatist (born c. 1564) • Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer – Dutch cartographer (born 1533/1534) ==References==