Gorboduc [key], legendary early British king mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his lifetime he divided his kingdom between his sons Ferrex and Porrex, thereby creating great civil strife in which the two sons were killed. Gorboduc, or Ferrex and Porrex, the first English blank verse tragedy, was performed by the players of the Inner Temple in 1561. The first edition of the play, published in 1565, attributes the first three acts to Thomas Norton (1532–84) and the last two to Thomas Sackville. The play is modeled on Senecan tragedy.
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