Cue for Treason

Kit and Peter bond over their dislike of Sir Philip: They think he is greedy and manipulative, though adult Peter hints that neither of them realizes the true extent of his scheming yet. Shakespeare promises to look after them and Sir Philip soon returns to Cumberland. Kit finally performs Juliet to great acclaim and the company is invited to perform at court before the Queen. This is a great success.

As spring comes, they prepare to move from their indoor venue to the open-air Globe Theater. Shakespeare has a new play, Henry V, which they think will be popular as it is about war and there is currently unrest in Ireland. By now, Peter is used to members of the public recognizing the players in the street, so he isn’t surprised when a gentleman in a yellow doublet stops him. He compliments Peter’s work and says he’s sad he can’t attend the performances of the newest play. He asks if he can borrow the script for a night to read it instead, giving Peter a shilling. Later, Kit tells Peter that the man probably intends to keep the script and sell it on.