Although William Shakespeare is the best-known name for writers of Elizabethan England, he was by far not the only one. A great many playwrights came from this era, most of whom were Shakespeare's friends and co-conspirators. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists is committed to recognizing these names, as well as their relationship to Shakespeare. This article will discuss some of these fellow writers, as well as their possible influence on Shakespeare and his success. Thomas KydKyd was born in 1558 in London. Although not much is known about his early life, it is known that he was educated at the merchant tailor's school. He acquired knowledge of French, Italian, Spanish and Latin and used these skills by working as a translator and producing pamphlets. His best-known work is the play Spanish Tragedy (1589). This laid the foundation for revenge plays and was performed continuously throughout the Elizabethan period. The Spanish tragedy included ghosts, madness, murder, and suicide—evidence that revealed its writer's "rampant and frightening genius." Most interesting is the number of reprints of the Spanish tragedy, which were even updated by Ben Jonson in 1601 through a paid commission. This demonstrates greater popularity than any of Shakespeare's other works. Sadly, Kyd's tragic writings have appeared in real life. In 1593 he was arrested and tortured to provide evidence against his friend and roommate, Christopher Marlowe. After Marlowe was murdered, he was released; but he never regained his notoriety, later dying in poverty in 1594. Ben JonsonJonson was not as fortunate in his rising as those before him, starting before his birth in 1572. His father, a Protestant clergyman, died a.. .... middle of paper ...... emes. It's easy to imagine these men sitting in lounges or bars, with papers and inkwells spread across tables and chairs, laughing and exchanging plots and jokes. The lines that divided classes disappeared, inviting all types to create on one level. In Elizabethan England, the so-called "golden age of drama", there were a large number of famous and popular playwrights, not just Shakespeare. It would seem that it was simply the waves of history that whittled the lists down to a few. While plays have come and gone, forever hidden by their writer or accidentally used as firewood by a careless cook, it may simply be the fact that more of Shakespeare's plays have survived that ensures their longevity. One can only hope that more will be found or, at the very least, that current and future writers will take note of everything that came before..