SECTION 6 - William Shakespeare, gentleman

Summary

Having considered the method of the dramatist, let us turn to the nature and breeding of the man, as set down in the recorded impressions of those who were his contemporaries and friends. Among them was John Davies of Hereford, whose lines on Shakespeare's ‘reigning wit’ I have already quoted: they are contained in a book by him called The Scourge of Folly, published about 1611, and are part of an eight-line epigram addressed to ‘Our English Terence, Mr Will Shakespeare.’ The lines preceding this quotation run:

‘Some say (good Will), which I in sport do sing,

Hadst thou not played some kingly parts in sport,

Thou hadst been a companion for a King,

And been a King among the meaner sort.’

That, surely, is a remarkable tribute of admiration. In the title of the epigram Davies addresses Will as a dramatist: but the lines convey the popular impression of him as an actor. Players were not usually esteemed gentlemen in Shakespeare's day. But, says Davies, apart from his written plays there was something in the man, more than physical presence, more than adaptability to high scenic parts, that suggested a loftiness that would befit kings' chambers.