William Kempe (c. 1560-1603), commonly referred to as Will Kemp, was an English actor and dancer specializing in comic roles and best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas by William Shakespeare. After his departure from the Chamberlain's Men, Kemp continued to pursue his career as a performer. In February and March 1600, he undertook what he would later call his "Nine Days Wonder," in which he morris danced from London to Norwich and later published a description of the event, in which this engraving (1600) appears.

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Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 16th, 17th, actor, art, bw, century, clown, comedic, comedy, comic, dancer, dancing, days, drama, elizabethan, fool, history, illustration, jig, kemp, kempe, literary, morris, performance, performer, play, player, renaissance, shakespeare, theater, william