Personalia
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft was born on March
16, 1581and was a poet, dramawriter and historian by profession.
He was the son of the famous plural mayor of Amsterdam,
Pieter Conelisz. Hooft travelled through France, Italy and Germany after a decent
education. This journey contributed to his development, especially in the field
of literature, his favourite study.
After his return, he studied literature and law in Leiden and was appointed
by Prince Maurits to Baljuw of Gooiland, Drost of Muiden and Headofficer of
Weesp and Weespercarspel in 1609. During this period he lived at the Muidercastle
during the summer, where he gathered with artfriends (Muidercircle). Together
they worked on eachothers knowledge of literature and education.
Hugo de Groot, Van Baerle, Real, Huyghens, Anna and Marie Tesselschade, Vossius
and many others met each other regularly at " 't hooghe Huis te Muiden"
(the high house at Muiden). Hooft was the support and the example to his literature
friends, honered for his knowledge and talent, in the chamber of rhetoric "In
Liefde Bloeyende" and in his own hospitable home. He was married twice,
first with Kristina van Erp, later with Eleanora Hellemans. He wrote a great
number of Minnedichten, some tragedy, the shepherdplay Grandina, the comedy
Warenar, the Live of Hendrik the Great and the Dutch Histories.
The character of the person Hooft did not speak
as much to the imagination of the people as the character of Joost van de Vondel,
an other Dutch poet. This is not hard to understand.
Hooft was an aristocrate by nature, who served his life and work only for beauty.
He just wrote his plays - with some exceptions - to explain his philosophy and
political ideas. His plays became meditations, demonstrations, often with a
high poetical level and written by a man with a great taste and a high level
of education, who observed the life of the people as an individual but who did
not take part in their lifes.
