Wentworth Smith
Encyclopedia
Wentworth Smith was a minor English
dramatist of the Elizabethan period who may have been responsible for some of the plays in the Shakespeare Apocrypha
, though no work known to be his is extant.
, an occupation with which he continued to be identified as late as the death of his son in 1614.
That he is known as a writer is due entirely to the presence of his name in the account book of Philip Henslowe
. Between April, 1601 and March, 1603, Smith produced fifteen plays acted by the playing companies of Admiral's Men
and Worcester's Men
at Henslowe's Rose Theater, some singly but most in partnership with other playwrights who also wrote for Henslowe. None of the works in which he had a hand is extant.
The last certain notice linking Smith to his dramatic profession is from June 6, 1605, when with one Elizabeth Lewes he witnessed the will of his dramatic collaborator William Haughton
. He may have continued writing plays, though as Henslowe ceased recording the names of his writers after 1603 this cannot be confirmed.
Smith's first wife died in 1602 and he married Mary Poteman in Whitechapel on May 16, 1607. His children Katherine and Wentworth were baptized in 1607 and 1610, respectively; the younger Wentworth died in 1614, but it is not known when Smith himself died, or even if he was still living at the time of his son's death.
(1595), Thomas Lord Cromwell
(1602) and The Puritan (1607). It is thought more probable that the initials are spurious, added to the published plays in an attempt by the publishers to suggest and capitalize on a connection with William Shakespeare
, to whom indeed they were later misattributed. A like motivation might have held even if the initials were genuine, and have lain behind the abbreviation of the author's name.
Smith has also been suspected to be the W. Smith who wrote The Hector of Germany, acted about 1613 at the Red Bull
and The Curtain
and printed in 1615; in the dedication to this play "W. Smith" mentions a lost play he had written called The Freeman's Honour which was performed by the King's Men
, probably before 1603 in their earlier incarnation as the Lord Chamberlain's Men
. The actual author of this play, however, has been identified as the herald William Smith.
Smith is sometimes erroneously confused with another writer who signed his name W. Smith, the sonneteer William Smith who published a sonnet sequence entitled Chloris, or the Complaint of the Passionate Despised Shepherd in 1596.
For the Admiral's Men, 1601-1602:
For Worcester's Men, 1602-1603:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dramatist of the Elizabethan period who may have been responsible for some of the plays in the Shakespeare Apocrypha
Shakespeare Apocrypha
The Shakespeare Apocrypha is a group of plays that have sometimes been attributed to William Shakespeare, but whose attribution is questionable for various reasons...
, though no work known to be his is extant.
Life and career
Smith, the son of one William Smith, was born in early March 1571 and baptized March 9, 1571 in St. James Garlichythe, London. He married Agnes Gymber September 29, 1594 in London. At this time he was employed as a scrivenerScrivener
A scrivener was traditionally a person who could read and write. This usually indicated secretarial and administrative duties such as dictation and keeping business, judicial, and history records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities...
, an occupation with which he continued to be identified as late as the death of his son in 1614.
That he is known as a writer is due entirely to the presence of his name in the account book of Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London...
. Between April, 1601 and March, 1603, Smith produced fifteen plays acted by the playing companies of Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
and Worcester's Men
Worcester's Men
The Earl of Worcester's Men was an acting company in Renaissance England. An early formation of the company, wearing the livery of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, is among the companies known to have toured the country in the mid-sixteenth century...
at Henslowe's Rose Theater, some singly but most in partnership with other playwrights who also wrote for Henslowe. None of the works in which he had a hand is extant.
The last certain notice linking Smith to his dramatic profession is from June 6, 1605, when with one Elizabeth Lewes he witnessed the will of his dramatic collaborator William Haughton
William Haughton
William Haughton was an English playwright in the age of English Renaissance theatre. During the years 1597 to 1602 he collaborated in many plays with Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, John Day, Richard Hathwaye and Wentworth Smith....
. He may have continued writing plays, though as Henslowe ceased recording the names of his writers after 1603 this cannot be confirmed.
Smith's first wife died in 1602 and he married Mary Poteman in Whitechapel on May 16, 1607. His children Katherine and Wentworth were baptized in 1607 and 1610, respectively; the younger Wentworth died in 1614, but it is not known when Smith himself died, or even if he was still living at the time of his son's death.
Possible identity with "W.S." and "W. Smith"
In addition to the works in which his hand is certain, Smith may have been responsible in whole or part for three plays of the period published under the initials "W. S." These were LocrineLocrine
Locrine is an Elizabethan play depicting the legendary Trojan founders of the nation of England and of Troynovant . The play presents a cluster of complex and unresolved problems for scholars of English Renaissance theatre.-Date:...
(1595), Thomas Lord Cromwell
Thomas Lord Cromwell
Thomas Lord Cromwell is an Elizabethan history play, depicting the life of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, the minister of King Henry VIII of England....
(1602) and The Puritan (1607). It is thought more probable that the initials are spurious, added to the published plays in an attempt by the publishers to suggest and capitalize on a connection with William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, to whom indeed they were later misattributed. A like motivation might have held even if the initials were genuine, and have lain behind the abbreviation of the author's name.
Smith has also been suspected to be the W. Smith who wrote The Hector of Germany, acted about 1613 at the Red Bull
Red Bull Theatre
The Red Bull was a playhouse in London during the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the northern suburbs, developing a reputation for rowdy, often disruptive audiences...
and The Curtain
Curtain Theatre
The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Curtain Close, Shoreditch , just outside the City of London. It opened in 1577, and continued staging plays until 1622....
and printed in 1615; in the dedication to this play "W. Smith" mentions a lost play he had written called The Freeman's Honour which was performed by the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
, probably before 1603 in their earlier incarnation as the Lord Chamberlain's Men
Lord Chamberlain's Men
The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...
. The actual author of this play, however, has been identified as the herald William Smith.
Smith is sometimes erroneously confused with another writer who signed his name W. Smith, the sonneteer William Smith who published a sonnet sequence entitled Chloris, or the Complaint of the Passionate Despised Shepherd in 1596.
Known works
Plays in which Wentworth Smith is positively known to have had authorial hand include:For the Admiral's Men, 1601-1602:
- The Conquest of the West Indies, with John DayJohn Day (dramatist)John Day was an English dramatist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.-Life:He was born at Cawston, Norfolk, and educated at Ely. He became a sizar of Caius College, Cambridge, in 1592, but was expelled in the next year for stealing a book...
and William Haughton, April–September 1601. - Cardinal Wolsey, Part I, with Henry ChettleHenry ChettleHenry Chettle was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era.The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a member of the Stationer's Company in 1584, traveling to Cambridge on their behalf in 1588. His career as a printer and author is...
, Michael DraytonMichael DraytonMichael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
and Anthony MundayAnthony MundayAnthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...
, August–November 1601. - The Six Clothiers, Part I, with Richard HathwayeRichard HathwayeRichard Hathwaye , was an English dramatist. Little is known about Hathwaye's life. There is no evidence that he was related to his namesake Richard Hathaway, the father of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. Hathwaye is not heard of after 1603....
and William Haughton, October–November 1601. - The Six Clothiers, Part II, with Richard Hathwaye and William Haughton, October–November 1601. Apparently not finished.
- Too Good to be True, with Henry Chettle and Richard Hathwaye, November 1601-January 1602.
- Love Parts Friendship, with Henry Chettle, May 1602. E. K. Chambers conjectures that this play was published in 16051605 in literatureThe year 1605 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The Queen's Revels Children perform George Chapman's All Fools at Court....
as The Trial of Chivalry. - Merry as May be, with John Day and Richard Hathwaye, November 1602.
For Worcester's Men, 1602-1603:
- Albere Galles, with Thomas HeywoodThomas HeywoodThomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...
, September 1602. - Marshal Osric, with Thomas Heywood, September 1602. Chambers suggests this may be The Royal King and the Loyal Subject, printed in 1637 as Heywood's alone.
- The Three Brothers, October 1602. Also called The Two Brothers. H. H. Adams suggests this was a domestic tragedy, but Alfred Harbage describes it as Biblical history.
- Lady Jane, Part I, with Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood and John WebsterJohn WebsterJohn Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.- Biography :Webster's life is obscure, and the dates...
, October 1602. Thought to be the same as (or an early version of) the extant Sir Thomas Wyatt of Dekker and Webster. - The Black Dog of Newgate, Part I, with John Day, Richard Hathwaye and another, November 1602-February 1603.
- The Black Dog of Newgate, Part II, with John Day, Richard Hathwaye and another, November 1602-February 1603. This and the previous were presumably plays on notorious criminal Luke Hutton.
- The Unfortunate General, with John Day and Richard Hathwaye, January 1603.
- The Italian Tragedy, March 1603.