Alexander Cooke
Encyclopedia
Alexander Cooke was an actor in the King's Men
, the acting company of William Shakespeare
and Richard Burbage
.
Edmond Malone
introduced the hypothesis, still current though far from certain, that Cooke originated Shakespeare's principal female roles. Cooke was not a sharer in the King's Men when the company received its royal charter early in 1603
, yet before the year was out he is a "principal tragedian" in the cast list for Ben Jonson
's Sejanus
. This might indicate that he was a young actor in a prominent female role, perhaps Agrippina. Cooke was also cast in Volpone
(1605
), in which he may have been Lady Would-be. He is also named in the cast-lists for Jonson's The Alchemist
(1610
) and Catiline (1611
) and for Beaumont
and Fletcher
's The Captain
(c. 1612).
Cooke became a shareholder in the King's Men in 1604, when the number of shareholders was expanded to twelve. Alexander Cooke had a brother John; John Payne Collier
speculated that this John Cooke was the author of Greene's Tu Quoque
.
Cooke appears to have been apprenticed to John Heminges
; he refers to Heminges as "my master" in his last will and testament. That will named Heminges and Henry Condell
as trustees of his children — his sons Francis (born in 1605) and Alexander (1614), and daughters Rebecca (1607) and Alice (1611). Cooke resided in Hill's Rents, in the parish of St. Saviour's, Southwark
. His funeral took place on 25 February 1614.
In Gary Blackwood
's 1998 novel The Shakespeare Stealer
, Cooke is portrayed as the hero's best friend, Sander.
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...
, the acting company of 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"...
and Richard Burbage
Richard Burbage
Richard Burbage was an English actor and theatre owner. He was the younger brother of Cuthbert Burbage. They were both actors in drama....
.
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
introduced the hypothesis, still current though far from certain, that Cooke originated Shakespeare's principal female roles. Cooke was not a sharer in the King's Men when the company received its royal charter early in 1603
1603 in literature
The year 1603 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Ben Jonson and Thomas Dekker collaborate on a pageant to welcome the new king James I of England.*Thomas Middleton gets married.*Chronicler Richard Baker, is knighted by James I....
, yet before the year was out he is a "principal tragedian" in the cast list for Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's Sejanus
Sejanus (play)
Sejanus His Fall, a 1603 play by Ben Jonson, is a tragedy about Lucius Aelius Seianus, the favorite of the Roman emperor Tiberius. It was possibly an allegory of James I and his corrupt court....
. This might indicate that he was a young actor in a prominent female role, perhaps Agrippina. Cooke was also cast in Volpone
Volpone
Volpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy, black comedy and beast fable...
(1605
1605 in literature
The year 1605 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The Queen's Revels Children perform George Chapman's All Fools at Court....
), in which he may have been Lady Would-be. He is also named in the cast-lists for Jonson's The Alchemist
The Alchemist (play)
The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature...
(1610
1610 in literature
The year 1610 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Thomas Bodley makes an agreement with the Stationers' Company of London to put a copy of every book registered with them into his new Bodleian.-New books:...
) and Catiline (1611
1611 in literature
The year 1611 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - Oberon, the Faery Prince, a masque written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace....
) and for Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
and Fletcher
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
's The Captain
The Captain (play)
The Captain is the title of a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was originally published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647.-Performance and publication:...
(c. 1612).
Cooke became a shareholder in the King's Men in 1604, when the number of shareholders was expanded to twelve. Alexander Cooke had a brother John; John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier , English Shakespearian critic and forger, was born in London.-Reporter and solicitor:...
speculated that this John Cooke was the author of Greene's Tu Quoque
Greene's Tu Quoque
Greene's Tu Quoque, also known as The City Gallant, is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by John Cooke. The play was a major popular success upon its premier, and became something of a legend in the theatre lore of the seventeenth century.-Performance:Cooke's play was performed by Queen...
.
Cooke appears to have been apprenticed to John Heminges
John Heminges
John Heminges was an English Renaissance actor. Most noted now as one of the editors of William Shakespeare's 1623 First Folio, Heminges served in his time as an actor and financial manager for the King's Men.-Life:Heminges was born in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire in 1556...
; he refers to Heminges as "my master" in his last will and testament. That will named Heminges and Henry Condell
Henry Condell
Henry Condell was an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. With John Heminges, he was instrumental in preparing the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623....
as trustees of his children — his sons Francis (born in 1605) and Alexander (1614), and daughters Rebecca (1607) and Alice (1611). Cooke resided in Hill's Rents, in the parish of St. Saviour's, Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
. His funeral took place on 25 February 1614.
In Gary Blackwood
Gary Blackwood
Gary Blackwood, born on October 23, 1945 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, is an American author of popular books for young readers including The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare's Scribe, and Shakespeare's Spy.-Works:...
's 1998 novel The Shakespeare Stealer
The Shakespeare Stealer
The Shakespeare Stealer is a 1998 young adult novel, written by Gary Blackwood. The novel is a historical fiction novel, and takes place in Elizabethan England. It was an ALA Notable Children's Book in 1999.-Plot summary:...
, Cooke is portrayed as the hero's best friend, Sander.