William Sly
Encyclopedia
William Sly was an actor in English Renaissance theatre
, a colleague of William Shakespeare
and Richard Burbage
in the Lord Chamberlain's Men
and the King's Men
.
Nothing is known of Sly's early life. He enters the historical record by playing Porrex in the c. 1591 production of the play The Seven Deadly Sins
(likely written by Richard Tarleton), along with Augustine Phillips
, Thomas Pope
, Richard Cowley
, and George Bryan
, all future colleagues in the Lord Chamberlain's Men. (That production was performed by a combination of personnel from the Lord Strange's Men
and the Admiral's Men
.) He is generally thought to have been with the Lord Chamberlain's Men at their re-formed start in 1594
, probably at first as a hired man; he may have become a sharer in the company when George Bryan retired, c. 1597, though this is uncertain.
Sly is included in the troupe's surviving cast lists for the next few years, for Every Man in His Humour
(1598
), Every Man Out of His Humour
(1599
), and Sejanus
(1603
) — all three by Ben Jonson
. He may also have played Osric in Hamlet
, in 1602
and after. When the Lord Chamberlain's Men became the King's Men in May 1603, Sly was one of the sharers. He is mentioned by name in the Induction to Marston's
The Malcontent
, with Burbage and other King's Men.
In 1605 Sly became a shareholder in the Globe Theatre
; in the same year he was one of the executors of Augustine Phillips's will. He was also one of the shareholders in the Blackfriars Theatre
when the King's Men took it over in August 1608, but died soon after, his potential portion being divided among the other sharers. On August 16, 1608, he was buried in St. Leonard's Church in Shoreditch
.
In his last will and testament, Sly left his share in the Globe to fellow actor Robert Browne; he left a large sum, £40, to a James Saunder or Sands, who might have been a boy player in The Seven Deadly Sins nearly two decades before. And he left his sword and hat to Cuthbert Burbage
.
English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
, a colleague 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....
in 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...
and 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...
.
Nothing is known of Sly's early life. He enters the historical record by playing Porrex in the c. 1591 production of the play The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins (play)
The Seven Deadly Sins was a two-part play written c. 1585, attributed to Richard Tarlton, and most likely premiered by his company, Queen Elizabeth's Men...
(likely written by Richard Tarleton), along with Augustine Phillips
Augustine Phillips
Augustine Phillips was an Elizabethan actor who performed in troupes with Edward Alleyn and William Shakespeare. He was one of the first generation of English actors to achieve wealth and a degree of social status by means of his trade....
, Thomas Pope
Thomas Pope (16th-century actor)
Thomas Pope was an Elizabethan actor, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men and a colleague of William Shakespeare. Pope was a "comedian and acrobat."-Beginnings:...
, Richard Cowley
Richard Cowley
Richard Cowley was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a colleague of William Shakespeare and Richard Burbage in the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men.Cowley was in the c...
, and George Bryan
George Bryan (16th-century actor)
George Bryan was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men with William Shakespeare and Richard Burbage....
, all future colleagues in the Lord Chamberlain's Men. (That production was performed by a combination of personnel from the Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...
and the Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
.) He is generally thought to have been with the Lord Chamberlain's Men at their re-formed start in 1594
1594 in literature
-Events:*The London theatres re-open in the spring, after two years of general inactivity due to the bubonic plague epidemic of 1592–94. Many of the actors who used to be Lord Strange's Men form a new organization, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, under the patronage of Henry Carey, 1st Baron...
, probably at first as a hired man; he may have become a sharer in the company when George Bryan retired, c. 1597, though this is uncertain.
Sly is included in the troupe's surviving cast lists for the next few years, for Every Man in His Humour
Every Man in His Humour
Every Man in His Humour is a 1598 play by the English playwright Ben Jonson. The play belongs to the subgenre of the "humours comedy," in which each major character is dominated by an overriding humour or obsession.-Performance and Publication:...
(1598
1598 in literature
-Events:*September 22 - Ben Jonson is charged with manslaughter, after killing actor Gabriel Spenser in a duel.*October - Edmund Spenser's castle at Kilcolman, near Doneraile in North Cork, is burned down by the native Irish forces of Aodh Ó Néill...
), Every Man Out of His Humour
Every Man Out of His Humour
Every Man out of His Humour is a satirical comedy written by English playwright Ben Jonson, acted in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is a conceptual sequel to his 1598 comedy Every Man in His Humour...
(1599
1599 in literature
-Events:* Undated - Opening of the Globe Theatre.*June 4 - Middleton's Microcynicon and Marston's Scourge of Villainy are publicly burned, as ecclesiastical authorities crack down on the craze for satire of the past year. The Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury tighten their...
), and 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....
(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....
) — all three by 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...
. He may also have played Osric in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, in 1602
1602 in literature
The year 1602 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 2 - The King's Men perform Twelfth Night at the Middle Temple.*May 4 - Richard Hakluyt is installed as prebendary of Westminster....
and after. When the Lord Chamberlain's Men became the King's Men in May 1603, Sly was one of the sharers. He is mentioned by name in the Induction to Marston's
John Marston
John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...
The Malcontent
The Malcontent
The Malcontent is an early Jacobean stage play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston ca. 1603. The play was one of Marston's most successful works....
, with Burbage and other King's Men.
In 1605 Sly became a shareholder in the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
; in the same year he was one of the executors of Augustine Phillips's will. He was also one of the shareholders in the Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
when the King's Men took it over in August 1608, but died soon after, his potential portion being divided among the other sharers. On August 16, 1608, he was buried in St. Leonard's Church in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
.
In his last will and testament, Sly left his share in the Globe to fellow actor Robert Browne; he left a large sum, £40, to a James Saunder or Sands, who might have been a boy player in The Seven Deadly Sins nearly two decades before. And he left his sword and hat to Cuthbert Burbage
Cuthbert Burbage
Cuthbert Burbage was an English theatrical figure, son of impresario James Burbage and elder brother of famous actor Richard Burbage...
.