Abstract
John Cowell writes of Edward Kean as if the actor were Prince Hal: "His chosen associates were selected from the lowest dregs of society—prize-fighters, thief-catchers and knaves and fools of low degree”. Kean may have even appeared in boxing matches after his Shakespearean performances. William Macready had been just a boy when Kean began performing Shakespeare. Kean ushered in a sportive and competitive atmosphere, a new kind of theater with not merely a show and a star, but a spirited contest with a winner and a loser. His audience soon learned to keep the mental equivalent of scorecards and counted who won the theatrical rounds of each scene. If Macready was reluctant to clash directly with his boyhood hero, Kean, for his part, was none too anxious to combat with Macready. To stave off further combats that might prove physically costly, Kean found new ways to encumber his theatrical competition.