The Boy Who Would Be Shakespeare by Doug Stewart

Author:Doug Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 2010-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

Samuel was relieved to have the entire transcript intact and under his roof at last. Even if he had to wait a bit longer for Mr. H. to relinquish the play’s original manuscript, so be it. While the collector never stopped pressuring his son for new papers, his attention was increasingly focused on the expensive edition of the papers that he was planning and on making sure each document from Shakespeare’s hand, however trivial, was properly engraved for reproduction.

The visitors who converged on Norfolk Street during the thrice-weekly visiting hours accepted the Vortigern text as the words of Shakespeare—at least, those who spoke up publicly did. William-Henry sensed that doubts about the papers were dwindling. In the Oracle at the end of April, James Boaden wrote with his customary self-assurance that “the Shaksperiana which have been so luckily discovered are now considered as genuine by all but those who illiberally refuse to be convinced by inspection.” The documents spoke for themselves. They were obviously Shakespeare’s.

“The Manuscript Play of King Lear,” observed the True Briton, “. . . is in a variety of passages so different from the printed work, and so much more beautiful, that it will doubtless by adopted at the Theatres.” More exciting to the theater world than a mint quality Lear, however, was the newfound history play. The rival owners of London’s two theatres royal were already vying for a chance to stage it. Sheridan at Drury Lane and Thomas Harris at Covent Garden both anticipated that Vortigern would draw crowds. Neither had actually read the play; Harris hadn’t even looked at the manuscript. But this was immaterial. What mattered to both men was that London hadn’t witnessed the premiere of a new play by Shakespeare since James I was king. It would likely never see another.

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