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The Shakespeare Stealer

189 statements
36 feature instances
7 referencing feature instances

The Shakespeare Stealer	type	TVTItem
The Shakespeare Stealer	label	The Shakespeare Stealer
The Shakespeare Stealer	page	TheShakespeareStealer
The Shakespeare Stealer	comment	The Shakespeare Stealer is a historical fiction novel released in 1999 by Gary Blackwood. The story stars Widge, a young scribe who is bought by a new master due to his training in writing “charactery”, a shorthand alphabet that allows him to transcribe words as fast they are being spoken. His new master, Simon Bass, has a special assignment for him: transcribe William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is being performed but whose script has not been printed. In this era of little copyright and communication, Bass will be able pass off the play as his own.But complications emerge, as time runs short and Widge’s notebook is stolen. Trying to take it back, he uses the worst excuse he could in explaining why he’s backstage: he wants to be an actor. Shakespeare’s company thus takes him in, and Widge learns the fine arts of their trade while trying to reconcile performing with them and yet stealing their scripts in secret.
The Shakespeare Stealer	fetched	2023-05-16T03:13:19Z
The Shakespeare Stealer	parsed	2023-05-16T03:13:19Z
The Shakespeare Stealer	processingComment	Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Shakespeare Stealer	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_177a6464	type	Genre Shift
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_177a6464	comment	Genre Shift: Widge compares Shakespeare's reaction to finding his daughter Judith's visiting the Globe Theater to this, saying his work and home life are kept so separate that it's as if a character from A Midsummer Night's Dream walked into Julius Caesar.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_177a6464	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_177a6464	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_177a6464
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_22cf536c	type	Chekhov's Gun
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_22cf536c	comment	Chekhov's Gun: When brainstorming for a plot for his play, Widge briefly considers one where the child of a poor milkman finds out they're actually a child of royalty. He quickly discards it, thinking there's no good reason why a prince would give his child to a peasant couple. This turns out to be what happened to Julia.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_22cf536c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_22cf536c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_22cf536c
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3126c34a	type	Insufferable Genius
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3126c34a	comment	Insufferable Genius: Sal Pavy. Prodigy at acting, terrible teammate.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3126c34a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3126c34a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3126c34a
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3149c4b0	type	It Will Never Catch On
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3149c4b0	comment	It Will Never Catch On: Julia expresses skepticism that English theatre will allow women to act onstage soon, saying too many Puritans would protest. Widge then jokes King James could have them shipped to the New World.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3149c4b0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3149c4b0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3149c4b0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_36ae9f5d	type	Traumatic Haircut
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_36ae9f5d	comment	Traumatic Haircut: Sal Pavy has his long blond hair cut off by thieves who want it to sell it to a wig maker. He's furious at Sam and Widge for not stepping in to stop it, though they point out that if they'd interfered, much worse could have happened to any or all of them than just losing hair.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_36ae9f5d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_36ae9f5d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_36ae9f5d
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3a3d1da	type	Inopportune Voice Cracking
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3a3d1da	comment	Inopportune Voice Cracking: Widge's voice starts to crack due to puberty. He notes that he's entering puberty pretty late, due to poor feeding in his previous homes contrasted by the better treatment of the troupe. He's rather unhappy to find it means he won't be able to play girls onstage anymore, as they were the parts he'd been accustomed to.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3a3d1da	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3a3d1da	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3a3d1da
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3d455888	type	Then Let Me Be Evil
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3d455888	comment	Then Let Me Be Evil: Simon Bass's "Falconer" disguise is made to look like a stereotypical Jew, to reward the troupe's racist perceptions of him.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3d455888	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3d455888	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_3d455888
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_4d422f71	type	Throw It In!
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_4d422f71	comment	Throw It In: invoked A few of Widge's comments make it into Shakespeare's play, such as his quip about an answer that can fit all questions "must be an answer of most monstrous size". Most importantly, a saying he remembers from his hometown, "All's well that ends well", becomes the play's new title.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_4d422f71	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_4d422f71	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_4d422f71
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_53f5119f	type	The Dragon
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_53f5119f	comment	The Dragon: Falconer, who Simon Bass sends to supervise Widge. He turns out to be Bass himself in disguise.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_53f5119f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_53f5119f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_53f5119f
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_544b2bff	type	Signature Item Clue
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_544b2bff	comment	Signature Item Clue: Jamie Redshaw's distinctive cane is found with an empty treasury box, having been used to beat its guard. Subverted as it turns out it's no longer Jamie's cane; he had bet it in a card game a few days before the robbery and lost, and the real robber, knowing that Jamie and his cane were known to the troupe, probably left it as an intentional misdirect.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_544b2bff	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_544b2bff	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_544b2bff
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_69c5fb9e	type	Recursive Crossdressing
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_69c5fb9e	comment	Recursive Crossdressing: Julia, a Sweet Polly Oliver, plays Ophelia in Hamlet and an unspecified female character in Love's Labour's Lost, and presumably other female roles as well. What's more, given Shakespeare's propensity for having female characters disguise themselves as men, it's entirely possible that another layer was added at times, though it's never expressly mentioned that she played any of those roles.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_69c5fb9e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_69c5fb9e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_69c5fb9e
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8a2d8868	type	Not Afraid to Die
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8a2d8868	comment	Not Afraid to Die: Sal Pavy. He decides that dying young makes him seem full of promise. Dying in adulthood, he would have been just another actor.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8a2d8868	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8a2d8868	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8a2d8868
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8ee370b6	type	Method Acting
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8ee370b6	comment	Method Acting:invoked Sal Pavy is noted by Mr. Armin to be such a good actor because he puts his own memories into the role. Widge learns to do the same in the acting duel at the end, remembering his troubles with his parents.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8ee370b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8ee370b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_8ee370b6
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_94ce222f	type	Sobriquet Sex Switch
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_94ce222f	comment	Sobriquet Sex Switch: Julian's real name is Julia.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_94ce222f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_94ce222f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_94ce222f
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_952d21ec	type	Bus Crash
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_952d21ec	comment	Bus Crash: Widge gets the news that Jamie Redshaw has died, some time after they last parted ways.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_952d21ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_952d21ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_952d21ec
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9a1d239e	type	Been There, Shaped History
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9a1d239e	comment	Been There, Shaped History: Shakespeare lets Widge try and finish a manuscript he's uninterested in finishing himself, which turns out to be Timon of Athens, a play which Shakespeare is believed to have collaborated on with an unknown author.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9a1d239e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9a1d239e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9a1d239e
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9c379ef0	type	Cross-Cast Role
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9c379ef0	comment	Cross-Cast Role: In keeping with the time period, all of the actors playing female roles are young boys (except for Julia).
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9c379ef0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9c379ef0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9c379ef0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: Julian gets much angry than he should be when Widge and Sander playfully tackle him, because they might have discovered her disguise.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_9d12bbc1
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a65288e2	type	Ascended Extra
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a65288e2	comment	Ascended Extra: In The Shakespeare Stealer, Sam was one of the two most junior members of the company (known as "hopefuls"), only mentioned a few times and not given any dialogue. In Shakespeare's Scribe, he's become a fully-fledged apprentice and is a significant character.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a65288e2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a65288e2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a65288e2
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a7850fbf	type	Only Known by Their Nickname
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a7850fbf	comment	Only Known by Their Nickname: Sal Pavy's full first name is Salthaniel, but, like Sander, he never uses it.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a7850fbf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a7850fbf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a7850fbf
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a8217606	type	Sweet Polly Oliver
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a8217606	comment	Sweet Polly Oliver: Sam suspects this of Sal Pavy, because he constantly refuses to sleep or bathe near them. It's actually to hide the scars on his back.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a8217606	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a8217606	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_a8217606
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_aabe2fb	type	Deliberate Values Dissonance
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_aabe2fb	comment	Deliberate Values Dissonance: Anti-Semitism is high in Elizabethan England, and Jews are thus forced to hide their ethnicity. Women are not allowed onstage, so all the female parts must be played by boys. Distrust of Catholics is also common.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_aabe2fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_aabe2fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_aabe2fb
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: Mr Armin's face grows pale when he assesses Julian's injury, because he finds Suppressed Mammaries, to conceal her real gender.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ad1db87c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ad1db87c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ad1db87c
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_b8e3f20a	type	Demoted to Extra
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_b8e3f20a	comment	Demoted to Extra: Sander, a major character in the first book, disappears after the first few chapters and only shows up briefly at the end as he dies. To a lesser degree, Mr. Pope and his housekeeper are this as well.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_b8e3f20a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_b8e3f20a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_b8e3f20a
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_bb5126ec	type	Prophecy Twist
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_bb5126ec	comment	Prophecy Twist: Each time with Madame La Voisin's prophecies. Sam is told he'll receive more money than he imagined. He tries to exploit this by buying a lottery ticket and betting for the highest prize. It ends up that his fine for supposedly losing a costume is less than he had thought it to be, meaning that he ends up with more money than he thought (or "imagined") he would have. Widge is told he will come into a fortune. Meaning the Fortune theater where he spies. Widge invokes this later when he is told he will tell a great many lies. He's dismayed at first because of his attempts to be more honest, but then he decides that what constitutes a lie is subjective and that he can embrace the prophecy (without giving up on his personal growth) by becoming a playwright.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_bb5126ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_bb5126ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_bb5126ec
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d08595d3	type	Broken Bird
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d08595d3	comment	Broken Bird: Sal Pavy was massively mistreated at Blackfriars, who forced him into ill-suited roles and almost destroyed his singing voice. They also had him caned every time he tried to run away, to the point that his scars coat his back.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d08595d3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d08595d3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d08595d3
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d9de318a	type	Appetite Equals Health
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d9de318a	comment	Appetite Equals Health: Widge, a former doctor's apprentice, examines a girl named Tetty who fears she's caught the plague. After a brief inspection for plague symptoms, finding none, Widge asks if she's lost her appetite. When she tells him she actually happens to be hungry right then, this reassures Widge (who then reassures her) that she's not plague-infected.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d9de318a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d9de318a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_d9de318a
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dcbe8a6e	type	Chekhov's Gunman
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dcbe8a6e	comment	Chekhov's Gunman: Widge and his friends speak favorable of Sal's performance at Blackfriar's. Later he's hired to their troupe.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dcbe8a6e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dcbe8a6e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dcbe8a6e
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dfe57573	type	Historical In-Joke
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dfe57573	comment	Historical In-Joke: The play Shakespeare dictates to Widge is initially called Love's Labour's Won after a supposed lost play by Shakespeare, but as it develops, a comment from Widge inspires him to rename it All's Well That Ends Well.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dfe57573	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dfe57573	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_dfe57573
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e016e53f	type	Throwing Off the Disability
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e016e53f	comment	Throwing Off the Disability: Mr. Heminges has a stutter in public, but onstage the acting spirit makes him able to speak normally.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e016e53f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e016e53f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e016e53f
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e663d3ef	type	Only a Flesh Wound
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e663d3ef	comment	Only a Flesh Wound: Widge is stabbed and, while bleeding profusely, stays awake and standing for quite a long time, to his surprise. Only his bloodbag had been punctured.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e663d3ef	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e663d3ef	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e663d3ef
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e70127	type	The Mole
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e70127	comment	The Mole: The thief turns out to be Ned Shakespeare, William's irresponsible brother.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e70127	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e70127	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_e70127
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ee7a60e9	type	One-Steve Limit
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ee7a60e9	comment	One-Steve Limit: Averted. There's another Will in the company, Will Sly, who Widge briefly mistakes for Shakespeare.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ee7a60e9	featureApplicability	-1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ee7a60e9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_ee7a60e9
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f18c7347	type	Twisting the Prophecy
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f18c7347	comment	Twisting the Prophecy: Widge and his friends meet a fortune teller who tells them prophecies about their lives, all of which become true in ways they didn't expect. At the end, Widge decides to visit her one last time, but becomes aghast when his fortune is that he "will tell a great many lies". Noticing his despair, the fortune teller urges him to not take the prophecy so literally, and Widge ultimately resolves to tell countless "lies", by becoming a playwright.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f18c7347	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f18c7347	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f18c7347
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f5e6ed44	type	No Sense of Humor
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f5e6ed44	comment	No Sense of Humor: Sal, but to a worse extent than Widge. Widge just didn't get the jokes. Sal finds them insulting.
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f5e6ed44	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f5e6ed44	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_f5e6ed44
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name	type	ItemName
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name	comment
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name
The Shakespeare Stealer / int_name	itemName	The Shakespeare Stealer

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Appetite Equals Health / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Cross-Cast Role / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Recursive Crossdressing / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Shakespeare in Fiction / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Sobriquet Sex Switch / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	Sweet Polly Oliver / int_50affa0e
The Shakespeare Stealer	hasFeature	The Queen Will Be Watching / int_50affa0e

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