The Shakespeare Stealer

Two more days pass. On Friday, the day of the second Hamlet performance, Falconer tells Widge, “be sure you complete your work today. We’ve lost our lodgings” (58). Falconer reveals that they have been asked to leave the inn because he killed a fellow lodger during the night in a duel. When Widge asks him why he dueled the other lodger, Falconer states that the other lodger called him “a filthy Jew” (59). When Widge asks Falconer if he is actually Jewish, the man remarks, “there are no Jews in England. Only former Jews” (59).

Falconer informs Widge that he must sneak into the back of the stage and listen to the play from there. This will give Widge a better opportunity of hearing every line. Widge hides himself behind the draperies and begins transcribing the play once again, attempting to fill in the gaps from his first attempt. He is successful. While the performance continues, Widge tries to sneak back out of his hiding spot to return to Falconer, but the player manning the cannon prop spots Widge and tries to apprehend him. During their struggle, the player misfires his cannon, causing the theatre to catch on fire. As crowds begin pouring out of the burning building, Widge makes his escape along with them. Once he reaches safety, Widge realizes that his tablebook (with the copied play written in it) is missing.

Upon realizing that his tablebook has been pickpocketed out of his wallet during the chaos, Widge traces his steps back to the burning building. Widge is worried about what Falconer will do to him if he discovers that Widge has lost the play. His only hope is that the thief, upon seeing the illegible charactery, will think that the book is useless and toss it aside.

While searching for the lost tablebook, Widge is discovered by a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, who escorts Widge to the rest of the theatre company. Widge learns that the brawny man’s name is Thomas Pope. He is initially worried that Pope or one of the other company members found his tablebook, especially when they call him a “criminal.” However, Widge quickly convinces them that his only crime is sneaking into the theatre to see the performance for free. In fact, Widge takes his story one step further and tells Pope that he has come to London alone because he wants to become a player, or actor, too.

At first, the other players do not believe Widge. Then the fencing master, whom Widge met in the street, speaks up for him. He tells the other men, “I believe him […] You’ve felt that hunger, every mother’s son of you. Would you refuse to let him satisfy it?” (71). Upon the fencing master’s recommendation, the company votes to allow Widge to stay on as an apprentice with the Lord Chamberlain’s company.

The players determine that Mr. Pope will be in charge of Widge, so Widge sets off for supper with him and a boy named Alexander Cooke, whom everyone calls “Sander.” At Mr. Pope’s home, Sander lends Widge a change of clothes and informs him that they will be roommates. Widge asks Sander if he has a copy of Hamlet, and Sander laughs at him, explaining that “no one gets a copy of the whole play” (75). Sander then tells Widge about “sides,” the small sheets of paper that each player receives to learn the lines of his individual part. According to Sander, only the book keeper gets a complete copy of the play, which is always locked away. Widge realizes that he is stuck between two dangerous problems: returning to Falconer and Bass with a copy of Hamlet or being exposed as a fraud by the Lord Chamberlain’s players.

The next day, Widge and Sander set out for “The Globe,” which is what the players call the theatre. Sander introduces Widge to other players such as Will Sly, a former apprentice who is now a member of the company, and two boys named Samuel and James. Samuel and James are “hopefuls,” which means that they are “hopeful of staying on as prentices” (80).

Widge and Sander spend the next hour doing lowly apprentice work for the theatre, which includes sweeping, loading, and cleaning. After this work, Sander tells Widge that it is time for their lessons, though Widge does not know what type of lessons Sander is referring to since they already know how to read and write. The chapter ends with Widge standing outside of the lesson room, listening to the cries of students who are being whipped with a willow switch. Widge concludes that his new life at the theatre will be just as harsh as his life before joining the theatre.

Chapter 12 opens with Widge scared to enter the lesson room due to the cries he heard coming from it. He states, “But just then Sander turned and beckoned to me with such a cheerful and friendly countenance that I swallowed my misgivings and followed him inside the lesson room” (82). Once in the lesson room, Widge realizes that the cries he heard were not those of apprentices being beaten but of apprentices learning to fence for the stage. The boys are practicing under the tutelage of Mr. Armin, the fencing master who vouched for Widge. For the next hour, Widge practices as well, though his initial efforts are bumbling.

Sander and another apprentice, Julian, take turns tutoring Widge in fencing until Nick, an older apprentice, approaches. Nick declares that he will make sure “that [Widge] learns his lesson,” mocking Widge and abusing him through the guise of teaching him fencing stances (86). Nick is clearly the better fencer. When the situation starts to become dangerous, Julian steps in. Nick relents but not before telling Widge to “study his footwork well” because Nick “means to hobble” him (87).

After the rest of the apprentice lessons, Widge and Sander are sent to assist with a performance of Every Man Out of His Humour. Sander is told to hold the playbook, and Widge is instructed to dress players in the tiring room. Julian retreats into a different room to change, which Widge wonders about. Sam, one of the hopefuls, tells Widge, “He’s a modest one, is all” (89-90).

During a lull in the costume room, Widge returns to the upper stage area where he was first discovered on the day that he lost his tablebook. After scouring the location, he confirms for himself that the tablebook must have been stolen. That prompts him to remember a grinning man who bumped into him that day. Widge concludes that the man was most likely the thief, who must have been frustrated when he walked away with a book full of illegible scribbles. But the thief’s frustration “could not have held a candle” to Widge’s dismay when he realizes that his tablebook is truly gone (90).