The Shakespeare Stealer

“I was so ill-equipped to set out into that world alone. I could read. I could read and write, but I knew none of the skills needed to survive in the unfamiliar, perhaps hostile lands that lay beyond the fields and folds of our little parish.”

Part of Widge’s arc as a character is his transformation from a naïve, friendless, country boy to a capable, social Londoner. This quote demonstrates why, even when offered opportunities for escape, Widge does not abandon his masters. It also illustrates Widge’s psychological state when he first joins the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He is scared and out of place, which is why community becomes important to him as the book progresses.

“Mr. Shakespeare deserves better; he is a poet of quality, perhaps of genius, and if his work is to be appropriated, it ought to be done well.”

This quote, spoken by Simon Bass to Widge, demonstrates the complex notions of ethics and honor that the characters have. Although Simon Bass realizes that his plan to steal Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet is wrong, he has convinced himself that it is still somewhat honorable if his troupe performs the work. In other words, Bass is trying to justify his actions to both Widge and himself.

“Not aye, yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

Widge says this line to himself after he is chastised by Falconer for saying “aye” instead of “yes,” thus revealing his country origins. This is an example of the ways in which language carries social value and dictates how a person is seen by those around him.

“I saved your master’s investment, that’s all.”

Falconer says this to Widge after rescuing the boy from drowning. Although Widge marvels that Falconer cared enough to save his life and thanks the man for it, Falconer likens Widge to a financial transaction. This shows how Widge has been trained to think of himself as a commodity instead of as a person. This is why Widge initially struggles to accept the friendship and kindness of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

“All women’s roles were played by men and boys.”

This quote is the novel’s first mention of gender roles on the Shakespearean stage. Here, the other apprentices of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men educate Widge about Elizabethan law. This quote also sets the premise for the conflict surrounding Julia/Julian later on in the novel: the stage is for men, not women.

“They say if you mention the devil’s name, he is likely to appear.”

This line is said by Widge and speaks to his constant fear of encountering Falconer. From the moment that Widge meets Falconer, much of the boy’s anxieties and fears are tied to what Falconer might do to him. For instance, when Widge travels with Falconer, Falconer repeatedly chastises him, and Widge witnesses Falconer’s violent nature on multiple occasions. Even when Widge joins the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, his greatest worry is that he will encounter Falconer at the Globe or somewhere else in London.

“The only ones who succeed are the ones who want it so badly that nothing will keep them from it.”

Julian says this to Widge when Widge questions Julian’s/Julia’s love for the stage. As a boy who has been working full-time since childhood, Widge has little concept of self-fulfillment or aspirations. His whole life has been obeying those in power in order to stay alive, so he has no concept of working for passion or fulfillment. This quote becomes especially important after it is revealed that Julian is actually a female player named Julia, who has been living as a boy for three years in order to act on the stage.

“Even a thief […] would not betray his fellows.”

Up until this point, Widge has never experienced community. He moved from an orphanage into a string of abusive homes where his only goal was survival. In fact, Widge has had no lasting connections with other people. As Widge learns more about the concept of friendship, he begins to feel responsibility toward the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which forces him to choose between caving to Falconer’s threats and protecting his new community.

“But the way Sander used the word, it implied something more, something better—that I was not merely part of a household, but part of a family.”

Widge is accustomed to being referred to as someone else’s “boy,” having spent his entire life in apprentice servitude. This quote is the first time that Widge hears the word used with a familial connotation.

“London speech no longer felt so foreign on my ear or on my tongue, and I’d learned to ignore the clamor of its streets.”

Throughout the novel, Widge’s dialect and his country upbringings cause many people to mock and deride him. In this line, Widge is reflecting on his adjustment to the city and how he has begun to feel at home in a place and culture that were previously unfamiliar to him. Widge is finally finding his place in the world, which is a major step in his journey to discovering his identity.

“Do you imagine you can pass for a girl with that voice?”

This line is spoken to Nick by Mr. Armin. It gives an early example of how gender is perceived throughout the novel: through stereotypes.

“I shook my head. ‘I’ll not be the one to tell it.’”

When it is revealed that Julian is actually a girl named Julia, Widge refuses to disclose this information to Nick, which demonstrates Widge’s increasing understanding of friendship, honor, and loyalty.

“I was weary of carrying the baggage of that secret about with me, always having to be careful not to let it slip.”

As much as Widge enjoys his new life with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, he cannot forget his connection to Falconer/Bass or his mission to steal Hamlet. Despite the fact that Widge wants relationships with the other players, his friendships continue to feel inauthentic as long as he cannot reveal his secret to anyone.

“Swords are easily come by, as are university asses.”

This line is spoken to Nick by a male university student shortly before the two boys duel. Most of the apprentices come from backgrounds of poverty and neglect. In this bar scene, Nick and the other apprentices are threatened and bullied by a wealthy university student. Up until this point, Nick has been one of the most powerful people in Widge’s life. Nick is an up-and-comer at the theatre and has wielded his power over Widge with anger and violence. But in this moment, readers realize that Nick’s power is limited to the Globe. Outside the Globe, in the real world, Nick is as marginalized by society as his fellow apprentices.

“There’s nothing we can do. It’s a matter of honor.”

Sander says this to Widge as the two boys watch Nick being beaten in a duel. This quote reflects the novel’s prominent themes of honor and stereotypical masculinity as well as the intersection of the two. This is doubly true since this duel is precipitated by a university student accusing Nick of fighting with girls, thus challenging Nick’s masculinity and his honor.

“When we were thrown together, I scarcely knew what to say.”

Widge says this of Julia after finding out that she is female. Strong divisions between genders are made in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company and in society. This causes Widge’s inability to understand Julia as the same friend she was when he knew her as Julian. In this moment, readers begin to realize how powerful gender roles and stereotypes really are.

“We play the roles others expect of us.”

Julia tells Widge this when he finally asks her why she chose to masquerade as a male player for years. This quote points to several themes that the novel is concerned with: identity, power, and secrecy.

“As I had survived my orphanage days by pretending I was someone else, someone whose parents still lived and were great and wealthy and would someday come for him, so I survived my hour or so upon the stage by pretending I was a wistful Danish girl, driven mad by love.”

This quote comes from Widge, who reflects on his Whitehall performance as Ophelia in Hamlet. Throughout the novel, Widge exhibits dissociative behaviors that he learned in childhood. In this reflection, Widge is exhibiting emotional intelligence by articulating his behavior as well as transforming this behavior into a positive skill for the stage.

“If you go on performing as admirably as you did for us, you’ll make a name for yourself.”

Queen Elizabeth I, who is the queen of England in the novel, tells Widge this after his debut performance as Ophelia at Whitehall. The line is a play on words. Widge always finds it difficult to introduce himself to others because he is embarrassed about his first name and about not having a surame. The queen demonstrates sympathy when he admits that he does not have a last name, and she boosts his confidence as a player by complimenting his performance.

“You made fools of us. You and Julia.”

Sander says this to Widge after finding out that Widge joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men under false pretenses. This conflation of Widge’s situation with Julia’s occurs multiple times, revealing the novel’s limited understanding of gender discrimination.

“No one has the right to the fruits of another’s labor.”

Mr. Armin says this to Widge as the two are pursuing Nick, who has stolen the Hamlet playbook to give it to Falconer. At the beginning of the story, Widge has little understanding of the negative aspects of plagiarism, having been raised by a man who made his living by copying other rector’s sermons. Now, however, Widge realizes that the playbook is critical to the livelihood of his new family. As a result, this quote reinforces the book’s ideas about intellectual property theft.

“This was a grown man’s game, and the winner would not be the one whose weapon survived but the one who lived.”

Widge thinks this as he witnesses the fatal duel between Falconer and Mr. Armin. In many ways, this final duel in the novel is a battle between good (Mr. Armin) and evil (Falconer), but it is also a fight for Widge’s future. Should Falconer win, Widge will end up back where he started. However, if Mr. Armin wins, Widge will be able to set aside his past and pursue a life with his newfound family.

“I was still but a prentice in the art, but slowly and painfully I was learning.”

Widge thinks this as he bids goodbye to Julia, the character who teaches him about compassion and loyalty in friendship. Here, Widge is applying his apprenticeship position to his developing understanding of friendship as an art.