Thomas Dekker - Definition and Overview

Thomas Dekker (~1570 - ~1632) was an Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer.

He is thought to have been born in London, but little else is known about his life, apart from the fact that he spent time (including the years 1613-1619) in prison for debt. The first of his plays known to have been performed were Old Fortunatus and The Shoemaker's Holiday, in 1600. In addition to his own plays, he collaborated with others, including Thomas Middleton, Philip Massinger and, most famously, John Webster.

Dekker's pamphlets, which describe the daily life of London in valuable detail, include The Wonderfull Yeare (1603) and The Belman of London (1608).