1602 in literature

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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1602.

Events

• February 2 – The Lord Chamberlain's Men perform Twelfth Night at the Middle Temple in London.
• May – Henry Wotton returns to Florence having disclosed a plot to murder King James VI of Scotland.
• May 4 – Richard Hakluyt is installed as prebendary of Westminster Abbey.
• November 8 – The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford opens to scholars.
• November 22 – Samuel Rowley and William Bird(e) (or Borne) are paid by the Admiral's Men for additions to Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus.

New books

Prose

• Tommaso Campanella – The City of the Sun (a philosophical work, one of the most important utopias)
• Thomas Campion – Observations in the Art of English Poetry
• Richard Carew – A Survey of Cornwall
• Cipriano de Valera (rev.) – 'Reina-Valera' (Spanish translation of the Bible)
• Sir Hugh Plat – Delightes for Ladies (book of recipes and household hints)

Drama

• Anonymous – A Larum for London, or The Siedge of Antwerpe with the ventrous actes and valorous deeds of the lame soldier published
• Henry Chettle – Hoffmann
• John Davies of Hereford – Mirum in Modum
• Thomas Dekker (with Thomas Middleton?) – Blurt, Master Constable, or The Spaniards Night-Walke published
• Ben Jonson – The Poetaster published
• Sir David Lyndsay (died c. 1555) – Humanity and Sensuality and A Satire of the Three Estates published
• John Marston – Antonio and Mellida published
• William Shakespeare – Hamlet performed (latest date), The Merry Wives of Windsor published, Troilus and Cressida probable completion date
• "W.S." – Thomas Lord Cromwell published

Poetry

Main article: 1602 in poetry

• Giambattista Marino – Le Rime
• Cristóbal de Virués – El Monserrate segundo

Births

• March 29 – John Lightfoot, English theologian (died 1675)
• April 30 – Robert Baillie, Scottish divine and historian (died 1662)
• May 2 – Athanasius Kircher, German scholar (died 1680)
• May 10 – Samuel Newman, American Biblical commentator (died 1663)
• October or November – Dudley North, English poet, writer and politician (died 1677)
• Unknown date – Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Spanish dramatist and poet (died 1638)
• Approximate year – Owen Feltham, English essayist (died 1668)

Deaths

• February 13 – Alexander Nowell, English theologian (born c. 1507)
• September 14 – Jean Passerat, French poet and satirist (born 1534)
• October 13 – Franciscus Junius (the elder), Swiss theologian (born 1545)
• October 30 – Jean-Jacques Boissard, French poet (born 1528)
• Unknown date – Jean Pithou, French legal writer (born 1534)