Penulis: Thomas Godfrey

Thomas Godfrey (1736-1763) was an American playwright and inventor, best known for his dramatic work “The Prince of Parthia, ” which is noteworthy for being the first play written by an American to be presented on a professional stage. Born in Philadelphia, Godfrey was deeply ensconced in the literary and intellectual milieu of his hometown, where he became associated with a group of writers known as the “American Wits, ” along with figures such as Benjamin Franklin. He crafted “The Prince of Parthia” in the neoclassical style, filled with the influence of his predecessors and contemporaries, infusing the classical structures with a nascent American sensibility. The drama, steeped in the themes of love, power, and betrayal, opened posthumously at the Southwark Theatre in Philadelphia in 1767. Sadly, Thomas Godfrey died at the young age of 26, and thus his literary potential remained largely unfulfilled. However, his pioneering work is praised for laying the groundwork for American drama and it continues to be studied for its historic significance and its contribution to the nascent literary culture of Colonial America (Wallace, 1917; Meserve, 1933).