Authorship, Authority and the Battle for Shakespeare

Abstract

Chapter 4, ‘Authorship, Authority and the Battle for Shakespeare’, focuses on the eighteenth-century’s invention of ‘Shakespeare’, and the attempts to depreciate Cibber’s authorial reputation as a means of elevating Shakespeare’s. In the commonly accepted narrative, Cibber is cast as Shakespeare’s defacer, and Garrick as the bard’s saviour. Cibber’s authorial reputation was attacked on two fronts: performance history and print editions. However, Cibber helped shape the eighteenth-century’s fascination with and understanding of Shakespeare, in both his adaptations and his acting. Specifically, Cibber’s knack for characterisation (in writing and performing) taught generations of actors, playgoers, and readers how to interpret Shakespeare and how to feel about his characters.