'The Rival Richards, or, Sheakspear in danger', etching by William heath, coloured by hand, published in Dublin by William McCleary, ca. 1814.

The satirical print shows William Shakespeare, caught in a vicious tug of war between (left) Charles Mayne Young (1777–1856) and (right) Edmund Kean (1787–1833), both costumed as Shakespeare’s Richard III. Satirical prints sold well in the early 19th century, before the advent of illustrated newspapers. Print-sellers could react speedily to topics of public interest and scandal, and the issue here is the relative success of the actors as Richard III, following the overwhelming critical approval received by the 26-year old Kean when he first played the role on the London stage at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 12 February 1814.

Richard was Kean’s second major Shakespearean role at Drury Lane. On 26 January 1814 the then unknown actor had demonstrated a completely new style of emotional and energetic acting with his portrayal of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. He consolidated his success by playing Richard III, and the ecstatic reaction meant that the theatre had a bankable new star. After appearing as Hamlet on 12 March, Kean acted in all three plays each week, with his Richard drawing the greatest crowds. In a vain attempt to combat Kean’s pulling power, Thomas Harris, the manager of the rival Covent Garden Theatre, presented Young as Richard III on 14 May. Young had already established himself in major Shakespearean roles, but his interpretation of Richard was considered too cerebral and restrained in comparison to Kean’s fiery rendition. The despondent Harris features in the print, standing outside his theatre and complaining: ‘They are too Kean for me and will Harris me to Death.’ In contrast, on Kean’s side, the brewer, MP, and major shareholder of Drury Lane, Samuel Whitbread, is seen capering delightedly, a pint of Whitbread’s beer in hand. The legend on the façade of Covent Garden – ‘What’s a Stage without Horses’ – refers to its fondness for hippodrama (plays featuring horses); that on Drury Lane’s – ‘Whitbread’s Entire . . . The Real Home Brew’ – to its associations with the brewery.

William Heath’s etching was first published by S. Knight on 18 May 1814, four days after Young’s appearance at Covent Garden, and in Heath’s original, Kean is shown on the left and Young on the right. This print is reversed since it is a mirror copy, produced in Dublin by William McCleary, a print-seller who, from 1791 onwards, specialised in publishing unattributed copies of English prints. The fact that McCleary chose to reproduce this subject for sale in Ireland says much about the amount of interest in the London theatre at the time.