Francis Bacon
/ˌfrɑːnsɪs ˈbeɪkən/
/ˌfrænsɪs ˈbeɪkən/
- (1561-1626) an English lawyer, politician and philosopher. He was very successful in his early career and became Lord Chancellor to King James I in 1618, but he was later accused of accepting money illegally and sent to prison. He was released after only four days, but never returned to public service. Bacon's books, including The Advancement of Learning (1605), show a scientific interest in the world which was new at that time. Since 1856 some people have claimed that Francis Bacon is the real author of the plays of William Shakespeare, because they feel that Shakespeare's education and social background were not good enough to have produced such great literature.
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- (1909-92) an Irish painter who lived in England from 1928. He often painted people who were in pain or who were being treated in a cruel way, making their bodies look ugly and twisted in order to emphasize their pain. He destroyed any of his paintings that he was not satisfied with.
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Francis Bacon