The Shoemaker’s Holiday, written by Thomas Dekker, is one of the first plays we have read in class that closely examines social status. I say closely because I think the other plays we have read thus far do incorporate social status as a plot device in one way or another, but none do so as thoroughly as The Shoemaker’s Holiday. The plot’s main character is the boisterous yet charming Simon Eyre, a shoemaker dedicated to his craft and to those who work with him. Eyre’s trademark phrase is “Prince am I none, yet am I princely born”. He says this over and over again, and it might provide an explanation as to how and why Eyre is able to ascend the social ladder as a shoe maker to a Lord Sheriff, to finally a Lord Mayor. The fact that Eyre has the opportunity to climb the social ladder is intriguing, and offers and interesting parallel to the side plot of Lacy and Rose, whose guardians are opposed to their marriage due to differences in social status.
While Lacy’s Uncle is opposed to his marriage to Rose because she is middle class (albeit her father is what one might recognize as New Money). On the other hand, Rose’s father opposes the marriage due to Lacy’s previous lifestyle as a reckless spender, and in turn a threat to Roses’s assets if they do get married. However, Lacy finds his way around this roadblock to his happiness with Rose, and chooses to disguise himself as a shoemaker, thus entwining his plot with that of Simon Eyre. Things aren’t completely settled between the already married Lacy and Rose, as their guardians still oppose the union. Leave it to the King to make an appearance in the last scene, and set everything right. He talks in length about how the problem of social status shouldn’t be an obstruction to the couple’s happiness, as Rose is ” worthy bride for any gentleman” (21.109) and Lacy “To gain her love became a shoemaker” (21.113). This part of the King’s speech is moving as he stands up for the couple’s love for each other coming before social status. However, he promptly appoints Lacy a higher status as a Knight, much to the delight of Oately and Lincoln. In conclusion, I don’t think that this play is campaigning that social status doesn’t really matter; instead it provides a well thought out portrayal of matters of the working class in a manner that showcases the cunning and vivacity of these particular characters.
This ends with a shrewd observation; as we said in class, the play is more about letting off steam than advocating social revolution, but it does show that there is room for merit–and money–to move up the ladder.
I agree that the play shows how some characters have a certain determination to move up the social ladder by their cunning. Though throughout the majority of the play, Simon Eyre is a shoemaker (which in the way he states it is as if the title of a shoemaker is a low end job), it seems his previous social status is completely forgotten as he eventually is able to move up to the title of Mayor through the acquisition of money and his charm. While Lacy’s and Rose’s differences in their social status is always being mentioned by their relatives and their union completely frowned upon. It is interesting to see such a difference in acceptance of the characters’ class titles.