Actors - Richard Tarlton

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	Actors - Richard Tarlton

Richard Tarlton (d. 1588), an English actor, was probably at one time an inn-keeper, but in 1583, when he is mentioned as one of the original member of the Queen's Men, he was already an experienced actor.

He was an early yet extraordinary influence on Elizabethan clowns. His epitaph says: “he of clowns to learn still sought/ But now they learn of him they taught.” Tarlton was the first to study natural fools and simpletons to add knowledge to his characters. His manner of performance combined the styles of the medieval Vice, the professional minstrel, and the amateur Lord of Misrule. During the play, he took it upon himself to police hecklers by delivering a devastating rhyme when necessary. He would spend time after the play in a battle of the wits with the audience. He worked with the Queen’s Men at the Curtain Theatre at the beginning with their career in 1583. The 1600 publication Tarlton’s Jests tells of how Tarlton recommended Robert Armin take his place upon his retirement.

He was Elizabeth's favorite clown, and his talent for impromptu doggerel on subjects suggested by his audience has given his name to that form of verse. To cash in on his popularity, a great number of songs and witticisms of the day were attributed to him, and after his death the text Tarlton's Jests, containing many jokes in fact older than him, made several volumes. Other books, and several ballads, coupled his name with their titles. Some have suggested that Yorick in Hamlet's soliloquy is an homage to the memory of Tarlton.

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