# William Shakespeare — Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories character guide

> William Shakespeare in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Shakespeare, Mr. William Shakespeare

**First appearance:** 0017-the-portrait-of-mr-w-h

## Snapshot

The playwright whose sonnets become a battleground for theories of identity, desire, and the dangerous power of believing your own story.

## Who they are

Shakespeare never appears in the flesh, but his sonnets are the engine of the entire mystery: who was Mr. W. H., and what did he mean to the man who wrote those passionate lines? The theory that Cyril Graham constructs—and forges evidence to support—turns Shakespeare from a monument into a man with desires and secrets. Every character who touches the sonnets is changed by them, and not always for the better.

## In the story

### [The Portrait of Mr. W. H.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/chapters/the-portrait-of-mr-w-h)

Referenced as the poet whose sonnets are central to the theory about Mr. W. H.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/chapters/i)

Referenced as the author of the Sonnets and the dramatist who created roles for the boy-actor Willie Hughes.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/chapters/ii)

Author of the Sonnets; his feelings toward the theatre and his relationship with Willie Hughes are examined.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/characters/shakespeare
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/characters