Shortly afterwards Shakespeare left London for Stratford (Sonnets XLII-LI), and when he returned Willie Hughes seems to have grown tired of the woman who for a little time had fascinated him. Her name is never mentioned again in the Sonnets, nor is there any allusion made to her. She had passed out of their lives.
But who was she? And, even if her name has not come down to us, were there any allusions to her in contemporary literature? It seems to me that although better educated than most of the women of her time, she was not nobly born, but was probably the profligate wife of some old and wealthy citizen. We know that women of this class, which was then first rising into social prominence, were strangely fascinated by the new art of stage playing. They were to be found almost every afternoon at the theatre, when dramatic performances were being given, and “The Actors’ Remonstrance” is eloquent on the subject of their amours with the young actors.
Cranley in his “Amanda” tells us of one who loved to mimic the actor’s disguises, appearing one day
