Edward Knight (King's Men) facts for kids

Edward Knight was a very important person behind the scenes for the King's Men. This famous acting company performed plays by amazing writers like William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and John Fletcher. Knight worked as their "book-keeper" or "book-holder" from about 1613 to 1637.

In the old English theaters, the "book-keeper" was like a stage manager and script supervisor all rolled into one. They made sure every play ran smoothly. They also took care of all the company's play scripts, which were called "playbooks." This is why they were said to "hold" and "keep" the "books." If there were any problems with censorship, the book-keeper had to fix them too.

Edward Knight's Career

We don't know much about Edward Knight's personal life. We only know about him through his work. Before joining the King's Men, he worked for another acting group called Prince Charles's Men. He even signed a contract for them in 1616.

After some years with the King's Men, Edward Knight became a very important part of their team. In 1624, a powerful official named Sir Henry Herbert, who was the Master of the Revels, made a special list. This list named 21 "musicians and other necessary attendants" of the King's Men. These people could not be arrested or forced to become soldiers without permission. Edward Knight's name was first on this important list! This shows how valuable he was to the company.

Preparing Plays for the Stage

Edward Knight's main job was to get play scripts ready for performances. Playwrights would write their plays, but they weren't always ready for the stage. Knight would add important notes to the scripts. These notes included things like:

• Where actors should enter the stage.
• Cues for sounds happening offstage.
• Other details needed to turn a writer's draft into a working "promptbook."

Several old play scripts that Knight worked on still exist today. These include plays like Beggars' Bush, Bonduca, and The Honest Man's Fortune. By studying these scripts, we can learn a lot about how plays were put on in those times.

Dealing with Censorship

Knight's job also involved dealing with censorship. In those days, plays had to be approved by the Master of the Revels. If a play had anything that the government or church didn't like, it had to be changed.

One famous example is the play Believe as You List by Philip Massinger. The original script shows how official censorship worked. It has notes and changes made by Edward Knight himself. He even marked where actors needed to enter the stage a few lines before they spoke. This gave them enough time to walk across the large stage of the Globe Theatre.

Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, once sent a direct message to Knight. In 1633, Herbert returned the script for The Woman's Prize. He ordered Knight to do a better job of removing "oaths, prophaness, and publique ribaldrye" (bad language and rude jokes). Herbert even threatened Knight, saying he would "answer it at your peril" if he didn't improve. This shows how serious censorship was and how much responsibility Knight had.

His Impact on Shakespeare's Plays

Many people who study Shakespeare have looked closely at Edward Knight's work and his handwriting. They want to understand how Knight might have changed or influenced the details in Shakespeare's plays. For example, some stage directions in the 1634 printed version of The Two Noble Kinsmen are thought to have been written by Knight.

Some experts even believe that Knight might have been like an "editor" for the very first collection of Shakespeare's plays, known as the First Folio. This collection was put together by Shakespeare's friends, Heminge and Condell. This idea shows just how important Edward Knight's role was in preserving and shaping the plays we know today.