Shakespeare v. The Rest: The Old Controversy

Summary

Shakespeare’s own attitude to his professional rivals was one of astonishing modesty, if we may take seriously his despondent description of himself as

Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope.

By the time he had written this, however, in his early thirties, when Francis Meres published his Palladis Tamia, Shakespeare is already firmly among his contemporaries:

These are our best for Tragedie, the Lorde Buckhurst, Doctor Leg of Cambridge, Doctor Edes of Oxforde, Maister Edward Ferris, the Authour of the Mirrour for Magistrates, Marlow, Peele, Watson, Kid, Shakespeare, Drayton, Chapman, Decker, and Beniamin Iohnson.

And on the next page we read:

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 Maiesties Chappell, eloquent and wittie Iohn Lilly, Lodge, Gascoyne, Greene, Shakespeare, Thomas Nash, Thomas Heywood, Anthony Mundye our best plotter, Chapman, Porter, Wilson, Hathway, and Henry Chettle.

Such was the race-card towards the end of the sixteenth century, and it is by no means clear who are the favourites—though the increasing publication of Shakespeare's writings during the next few years shows where the reading-public was beginning to put its money. And by the time that The Return from Parnassus is written (in which Shakespeare's name appears among half a score of candidates for fame) it is possible to express stronger opinions. There, Kemp and Burbage are talking and give their point of view:

Why heres our fellow Shakespeare puts them all downe I and Ben lonson too.