Introduction

This chapter gives a survey of Macklin's life and career, tracing his trajectory from unknown actor to one of the best-known figures in Georgian theatre. Looking at Macklin's many activities over decades of London life, the chapter argues that considering Macklin’s life as a performance of Enlightenment allows us an unusually appropriate metaphor for considering the many facets to this theatrical practitioner’s career while retaining an appropriate degree of critical scepticism as to the magnitude of his intellectual achievement. The chapter pays attention to Macklin's conflicts with others, his place within the Irish diaspora, and his associational activities. But while previous accounts have focused on Macklin's obdurate cantankerousness, this chapter places emphasis on his sociability and argues that the the Enlightenment is a commitment to enjoyment as much as to improvement. By paying attention to all of Macklin's activities, this chapter—and the volume as a whole—proposes Macklin as an exemplary if unorthodox figure of Enlightenment.