Patrons2


 * WHAT IS THE PATRONAGE SYSTEM? WHY DID ARTISTS HAVE PATRONAGE? WHO WERE SHAKESPEARE'S PATRONS? WHAT ROLE DID THEY PLAY IN HIS LIFE AND CAREER? ****Answer prepared by: Jerry H.**

In the Elizabethan era, many influential people were involved in the system of patronage. Patrons provided artists with money in order to allow them to continue working without worrying about financial troubles. Arthur Marotti, the author of the article “Patronage, Poetry and Print”, published __in Modern Humanities Research Association__, states, “Given the socioeconomic dependency of most writers, especially those who deliberately arranged to have their work printed, patronage was a social and financial necessity”(1). Like many artists of his time, Shakespeare needed financial aid; so, he too had patrons: the Earls of Pembroke and Southampton.

It is indisputable that Shakespeare wrote works in the name of his patrons. His main patron, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, was the recipient of the dedication of two of the Bard’s works. The Earl of Southampton accepted Shakespeare’s dedication of //Venus and Adonis// in 1593, and then //Tarquin and Lucrece// in 1594. Henry Brown, author of the article “The Earl of Southampton: Shakespeare's Patron,” states that Shakespeare was said to have received £5,000 from Southampton, which is about $135,000 today. Shakespeare thanked William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, by dedicating his First Folio to him. However, the dedication of //Shakespeare’s Sonnets// is disputed.

//Shakespeare’s Sonnets// was dedicated to a Mr. W.H. According to W.J. Rolfe, author of “Who Was ‘Mr. W.H.’,” it is in dispute as to whether Shakespeare meant “W.H”. to be Henry Wriothesley, William Herbert, or someone entirely different. Richard Dutton, author of the chapter “Shake-speares Sonnets, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and Shakespearean Biography,” in __A Companion to Shakespeare’s Sonnets__, claims that Mr. W.H. was most likely the fair youth mentioned in //Shakespeare’s Sonnets//. If so, the sonnets provide another point of access into Shakespeare’s life, since they would have been written about real people and events in his life. There has been speculation that Shakespeare and the Earl may have been lovers, for example. As much as the plays and poems serve as ways to understand Shakespeare, so do the dedications Shakespeare gave to his helpful patrons serve as a point of reference for scholarship.

Brown, Henry. //Shakespeare's patrons & other essays//. London: J. M. Dent & sons, 1912. __Shakespeare Online__. 20 Aug. 2009. 3 Apr. 2010 < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/patronsouthampton.html >.
 * Works Cited **

Cooper, Tarnya. //Searching for Shakespeare//. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006. p177, p187. Print.

Dutton, Richard. //A Companion to Shakespeare's Sonnets//. Malden, Ma: Blackwell, 2007. 121-124. Print.

Marotti, Arthur. "Patronage, Poetry, and Print." //Modern Humanities Research// //Association// 2-3. Print.

Rolfe, W. J. Ed. //Who was "Mr. W. H."?//. From //Shakespeare's Sonnets//. New York: American Book Company, 1905. __Shakespeare Online__. 20 Aug. 2009. 3 Apr. 2010 < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/whowaswh.html >.

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The Earl of Southampton



The Earl of Pembroke