Friday, April 6, 2012

What is a summary of chapters 4–10 of The Shakespeare Stealer?

I've listed below some key points from chapters 4–10 to help you understand a summary of the text.
After the strange man Widge is traveling with defends himself against the thieves, leaving them battered and bruised, Widge himself begins to feel rather weak in his travels. The pair find themselves not in London, but in Leicester.
Widge is allowed to rest and finally eat a warm meal, temporarily lifting his spirits, which were weary with travel. Good luck runs thin, though, for Widge finds that his wallet is missing. Presumably it was taken by the stable boy, but Widge decides not to rat him out. Widge is introduced to his new master, a man named Simon Bass.
Widge learns that the stranger's name is Falconer. He also learns about his new job, which is to write one of Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet, in charactery. He and Falconer travel to London to see the play performed.
Widge has never been to London, let alone a play. It's quite an overwhelming experience! The author describes the theater as such: “The roar of voices and the smell of closely packed bodies was overpowering and unremitting.”
Widge tries his best to write down the play but understandably misses a few lines, so they have to wait for another show.
In the meantime, they lose their lodgings due to a duel in which Falconer ends up killing one of the lodgers. More bad news arrives: due to a mishap, Widge loses the book in which he is writing down the lines of the play.
Widge finds himself caught by some of the players. Luckily, Widge is a pretty good liar, escaping punishment and stumbling into a new role as an actor.

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