William Gager

William Gager (1555–1622) was an English jurist, now known for his Latin dramas.

[4] They include Oedipus (1582), Meleager (1582), Dido (1583) and Ulysses Redux (1592).

[3] He stayed closer to the model of Senecan tragedy than other contemporaries, and adapted Seneca's Hippolytus in 1592, with the addition of scenes.

[6] Gager is mentioned alongside Shakespeare in Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia or Wits Treasury in the section 'A Comparative discourse of our English poets, with the Greeks, Latine and Italian Poets': "The best Poets for Comedy among the Greeks are these, Menander, Aristophanes, Eupolis Atheniensis, Alexis Terius, Nicostratus, Amipsias Atheniensis, Anaxedrides, Rhodius, Aristonymus, Archippus Atheniensis and Callias Atheniensis; and among the Latines, Plautus, Terence, Naeuius, Sext.

Turpilius, Licinius Imbrex, and Virgilius Romanus: so the best for Comedy amongst us bee, Edward Earle of Oxforde, Doctor Gager of Oxforde, Maister Rowley once a rare Scholler of learned Pembrooke Hall in Cambridge, Maister Edwardes one of her Majesties Chappell, eloquent and wittie John Lilly, Lodge, Gascoyne, Greene, Shakespeare, Thomas Nash, Thomas Heywood, Anthony Mundye our best plotter, Chapman, Porter, Wilson, Hathway, and Henry Chettle."

Christ Church dining hall, where Gager's plays were performed.