Part 12 (2/2)

When Shakespeare e's fallow greyhound was 'outrun on Cotsall' (I i 93), he testifies to his interest in the coursing matches for which the Cotswold district was famed

'Henry V'

The spirited character of Prince Hal was peculiarly congenial to its creator, and in 'Henry V' Shakespeare, during 1598, brought his career to its close The play was performed early in 1599, probably in the newly built Globe Theatre Again Thomas Creede printed, in 1600, an imperfect draft, which was thrice reissued before a complete version was supplied in the First Folio of 1623 The dramatic interest of 'Henry V' is slender There is abundance of comic element, but death has removed Falstaff, whose last moments are described with the sih Falstaff's coure New comic characters are introduced in the persons of three soldiers respectively of Welsh, Scottish, and Irish nationality, whose racial traits are contrasted with telling effect The irascible Irishman, Captain MacMorris, is the only representative of his nation who figures in the long list of Shakespeare's _dramatis personae_ The scene in which the pedantic but patriotic Welshart Pistol at his nation's e him to eat the leek, overflows in vivacious humour The piece in its main current presents a series of loosely connected episodes in which the hero's manliness is displayed as soldier, ruler, and lover The topic reached its cliincourt, which powerfully appealed to patriotic sentiment Besides the 'Famous Victories,' {174} there was another lost piece on the subject, which Henslowe produced for the first tiarded as Shakespeare's final experilish history, and it artistically rounds off the series of his 'histories' which form collectively a kind of national epic For 'Henry VIII,' which was produced very late in his career, he was only in part responsible, and that 'history' consequently belongs to a different category

Essex and the rebellion of 1601

A gliraphy may be discerned in the directepisode in current history In the prologue to act v Shakespeare foretold for Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex, the close friend of his patron Southampton, an enthusiastic reception by the people of London when he should co' rebellion in Ireland

Were now the general of our gracious e rebellion broached on his sword, How many would the peaceful city quit To welcome him!--(Act v Chorus, ll 30-4)

Essex had set out on his disastrous mission as the would-be pacificator of Ireland on March 27, 1599 The fact that Southampton ith him probably accounts for Shakespeare's avowal of syed, soon after 'Henry V' was produced, with treasonable neglect of duty, and he sought in 1601, again with the support of Southa up rebellion in London Then Shakespeare's reference to Essex's popularity with Londoners bore perilous fruit The friends of the rebel leaders sought the draustine Phillips, a leading member of Shakespeare's company, to induce him to revive at the Globe Theatre 'Richard II' (beyond doubt Shakespeare's play), in the hope that its scene of the killing of a king e a popular outbreak Phillips subsequently deposed that he prudently told the conspirators who bespoke the piece that 'that play of Kyng Richard' was 'so old and so long out of use as that they should have small or no company at it' None the less the performance took place on Saturday (February 7, 1601), the day preceding that fixed by Essex for the rising

The Queen, in a later conversation with Williaedie' of 'Richard II,' which she had always vieith suspicion, was played at the period with seditious intent 'forty times in open streets and houses' {175} At the trial of Essex and his friends, Phillips gave evidence of the circuedy was revived at the Globe Theatre Essex was executed and Southas were taken against the players, {176a} but Shakespeare wisely abstained, for the time, from any public reference to the fate either of Essex or of his patron Southampton

Shakespeare's popularity and influence

Such incidents served to accentuate Shakespeare's growing reputation

For several years his genius as draoers alike, and his social and professional position had become considerable Inside the theatre his influence was supreer of the company rejected Ben Jonson's first comedy--his 'Every Man in his Hu to a credible tradition (reported by Rowe but denounced by Gifford), and procured a reversal of the decision in the interest of the unknown dramatist as his junior by nine years He took a part when the piece was performed Jonson was of a difficult and jealous teave vent to an occasional expression of scorn at Shakespeare's expense, but, despite passing manifestations of his unconquerable surliness, there can be no doubt that Jonson cherished genuine esteem and affection for Shakespeare till death {176b} Within a very few years of Shakespeare's death Sir Nicholas L'Estrange, an industrious collector of anecdotes, put into writing an anecdote for which hethe amicable relations that habitually subsisted between Shakespeare and Jonson 'Shakespeare,'

ran the story, 'was Godfather to one of Ben Jonson's children, and after the christening, being in a deep study, Jonson came to cheer him up and asked him why he was so melancholy ”No, faith, Ben,” says he, ”not I, but I have been considering a great while what should be the fittest gift for me to bestow upon my Godchild, and I have resolv'd at last” ”I pr'ythee, what?” sayes he ”I' faith, Ben, I'll e'en give hiood Lattin spoons, and thou shalt translate thes

The creator of Falstaff could have been no stranger to tavern life, and he doubtless took part with zest in the convivialities of men of letters

Tradition reports that Shakespeare joined, at the Mers of Jonson and his associates which Beaumont described in his poetical 'Letter' to Jonson:

'What things have we seen Done at the Mermaid? heard words that have been So nimble, and so full of subtle flame, As if that every one from whence they came Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest, And had resolved to live a fool the rest Of his dull life'

'Many were the wit-combats,' wrote Fuller of Shakespeare in his 'Worthies' (1662), 'betwixt hialleon and an English her in learning, solid but slow in his perforlish, could turn with all tides, tack about, and take advantage of all winds by the quickness of his wit and invention'

Mere's eulogy, 1598

Of the many testimonies paid to Shakespeare's literary reputation at this period of his career, the raduate of Caht out in 1598 a collection of apophthegion, and literature which he entitled 'Palladis Tamia' In the book he interpolated 'A colish poets with the Greek, Latin, and Italian poets,' and there exhaustively surveyed conteured in Meres's pages as the greatest man of letters of the day 'The Muses would speak Shakespeare's fine filed phrase,' Meres asserted, 'if they could speak English' 'Alish,' he declared, 'he was the edy and comedy) The titles of six comedies ('Two Gentlemen of Verona, 'Errors,' 'Love's Labour's Lost,' 'Love's Labour's Won,' 'Midsuedies ('Richard II,' 'Richard III,'

'Henry IV,' 'King John,' 'titus,' and 'Romeo and Juliet') were set forth, and mention followed of his 'Venus and Adonis,' his 'Lucrece,' and his 'sugred {179} sonnets a his private friends' These were cited as proof 'that the sitty soul of Ovid lives in ued Shakespeare' In the same year a rival poet, Richard Barnfield, in 'Poems in divers Humors,' predicted immortality for Shakespeare with no less confidence