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Did audiences in Shakespeare's time think he was more gifted as an actor or as a playwright?

It is virtually impossible to know exactly what audiences of Shakespeare's day thought of the Bard's skill as an actor. Surprisingly, not much is really known of Shakespeare's life as an actor in London. One surviving document of the day, written by Robert Greene, was quite critical of Shakespeare, calling him an "upstart crow" who "supposes he is well able to bombast out blank verse as the best of you." Later critics, however, thought differently....

It is virtually impossible to know exactly what audiences of Shakespeare's day thought of the Bard's skill as an actor. Surprisingly, not much is really known of Shakespeare's life as an actor in London. One surviving document of the day, written by Robert Greene, was quite critical of Shakespeare, calling him an "upstart crow" who "supposes he is well able to bombast out blank verse as the best of you." Later critics, however, thought differently. In his early biography of Shakespeare, John Aubrey concluded that Shakespeare "did act exceedingly well," although this opinion is dubious considering Aubrey never saw Shakespeare on the stage.


In the article, "Was Shakespeare a Good Actor" (The Atlantic, April, 2014), John Paul Rollert argues that Shakespeare, while quite accomplished, was never the main "box-office draw." Actors such as Will Kemp, Richard Burbage and Edward Alleyn often overshadowed Shakespeare in the theater troupe known as the The King's Men. Rollert suggests, however, that the simple fact that Shakespeare continued his acting career uninterrupted for fifteen years was extraordinary in a time when audiences could be very harsh critics, and that actors often performed in up to six plays a week, sometimes playing several roles in one play. An actor might be expected to deliver up to 4,000 lines of verse during that week.


In contrast to the scant evidence of his popularity as an actor, it is quite evident that the audiences of Shakespeare's day believed his plays to be brilliant. That he and the other members of The King's Men became wealthy gentlemen is proof enough of the playwright's ability to write crowd pleasers and attract large audiences. His plays were also popular with both Queen Elizabeth and King James.   

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