1606 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1606.

Events

• 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