A Knack to Know a Knave

[2] On the basis of traditional literary-critical analysis and digital textual methods, Darren Freebury-Jones has proposed that the case for Robert Wilson's authorship of A Knack to Know a Knave is compelling.

[3] The play gives an insight into the nature of Elizabethan theatre during Shakespeare's time and the relationship between playscript and extemporised comedy.

[4][2] A Knack to Know a Knave first appears in the diary of theatre impresario Philip Henslowe, listing the play as performed by the Lord Strange's Men at the Rose Playhouse on 10 June 1592.

"[7] The lack of stage directions, and the relative shortness of the play compared to other contemporary playtexts also indicate that the 1594 quarto may not be a finished performance text.

A parallel storyline concerns the King of Saxon England, Edgar, who desires Alfrida, the daughter of Osrick, and sends Ethenwald the Earl of Cornwall, to woo the beauty for him.