Nathaniel Lee (1653-1692)
Seventeenth century English playwright, most
known for his plays
The Rival Queens (written entirely in
blank verse) and
Theodosius, neither of which achieved great
notoriety. He also wrote
The Tragedy of Sophonisba and
Lucius Junius Brutus, continuing his focus on
tragedies. His plays were very
popular in his own time, but were
apparently banned by the government in
1679 for an unspecified reason. He was
consigned to
Bedlam for four years after being
accused of
madness, giving rise to his
nickname "
The Mad Poet". As a result of this, Nathaniel Lee is perhaps most famous for this
quotation, made when looking back on his years in the
asylum:
"They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damn them, they outvoted me!"
Source: various websites/textbooks