The Shoemaker’s Holiday (also known as The Gentle Craft) is a 1599 play by Thomas Dekker. The play is an Elizabethan city comedy that celebrates London’s shoemakers (“the gentle craft”) while braiding three plots: Simon Eyre’s rise from loud, charismatic master shoemaker to Lord Mayor; aristocrat Rowland Lacy’s courtship of Rose Otley while he is in disguise as the Dutch shoemaker Hans; and the wartime separation and reunion of the shoemaker Ralph and his wife Jane. The play juxtaposes the nationalist mythology of the Hundred Years’ War with a civic counter-myth whereby craftsmen, rather than soldiers and nobles, claim cultural centrality. Key themes include The Tensions of Class Mobility, Labor as Civic Virtue and Alternative Heroism, and Sexism and the Under-Valued Role of Women in Business.

This guide uses the edition of the play found in the 2001 Oxford World’s Classic collection, The Roaring Girl and Other City Comedies.

Plot Summary

The Shoemaker’s Holiday does not have a set version of the text. In a number of versions of the play, the Prologue introduces the characters and appeals to the good nature of the ruling monarch. Though the Oxford World’s Classics edition cited throughout this guide does not include the Prologue at the beginning of the text, it is included as supplementary material and added to this guide before the opening scene.

The Shoemaker’s Holiday is set in London, England. At the opening of the play, the Earl of Lincoln is cautioning the Lord Mayor against marrying his daughter, Rose, to the Earl’s son, Rowland Lacy. Though the young couple love one another, their families do not approve of the marriage. The Earl of Lincoln accuses Lacy of being reckless: Lacy spent a fortune while abroad and was forced to find work as a shoemaker. The Mayor is concerned that such a frivolous person might squander his daughter’s wealth. The Earl suggests that the Mayor find someone of a more suitable social class. Meanwhile, the King of England announces that Lacy will command the English army that is being sent to France. The Earl tells his nephew to obey these orders. Though Lacy agrees, he plots to remove himself from the command so that he can marry Rose.

Rowland Lacy is determined to stay in London. He pretends to be a shoemaker from the Netherlands, giving himself the name “Hans.” He finds a job in Simon Eyre’s shoemaking shop. Eyre is known as a skilled craftsman and a loud, charismatic figure in the community. Eyre’s wife Margery jokes with Hodge and Firk, both journeymen from her husband’s shop, and a conscript named Ralph. In contrast to Lacy, Ralph is getting ready to go to France. He was conscripted but feels that he must do his duty, even though he will be leaving behind his wife, Jane.

Rose pines for Lacy while at Old Ford, where she is kept under watch by her concerned father. Master Hammon is a rich gentleman who—with the Mayor’s blessing—proposes marriage to her, but she rejects him. Eyre hosts a night of entertainment, which Lacy attends in disguise as Hans. Rose, also in attendance, recognizes him. With the help of her maid, Sybil, she arranges to meet him in secret. In the meeting, she promises to be his wife in spite of their parents’ wishes.

During this time, Simon Eyre’s fortune is greatly expanding. Thanks to an opportune (and illicit) business opportunity presented to him by Lacy, he has been able to purchase a large amount of expensive goods that he then sells for a big profit. Thanks to his newfound fortune, his status increases. He is lifted to the rank of sheriff, then made the Lord Mayor of London. In spite of his newfound status, Eyre does not forget his roots. He emphasizes the importance of shoemaking and keeps apprentices in the trade by promising them rich rewards for their talents.

After fighting in France, Ralph returns. He discovers that, in his absence, Hammon told Jane that Ralph was dead. He romantically propositioned Jane, who believed she was a widow. With a wedding arranged between Hammon and Jane, Eyre rallies the shoemakers to defend the honor of their fellow tradesman, Ralph. They go to the wedding party, where Jane is made to choose between Hammon and Ralph. She picks Ralph, prompting Hammon to leave in disgrace. This leads to a big celebration among the shoemakers as Ralph and Jane are reunited.

Lacy is able to elope with Rose. This leads to a furious reaction from the Earl of Lincoln and the Lord Mayor. They are determined to prevent their children from getting married. Eyre intervenes, offering the young couple a place to hide. He also helps them arrange a wedding. Before they marry, however, the King arrives. The King listens to all sides of the argument. He is benevolent toward Lacy, pardoning him for trying to desert from his duty. The King allows the marriage to proceed, while also knighting Lacy and turning him into Sir Rowland. He also promotes Rose in the social order, eliminating her father’s grounds for objection on social class.

The play ends with a celebration. Simon Eyre, as the mayor, succeeds in securing a greater range of privileges for his fellow shoemakers. He hosts a feast to celebrate, inviting the apprentices as well as the King. Lacy and Rose are reunited, as are Jane and Ralph, as the shoemakers celebrate at Eyre’s banquet table.