Eyre:
Peace, am I not Simon
Eyre? Are not these my brave men, brave shoemakers, all
gentlemen of the Gentle Craft? Prince am I none, yet am I
nobly born, as being the sole son of a shoemaker. Away,
rubbish. Vanish, melt- melt like kitchen-stuff.
(Scene 7, lines 44-48)

Simon Eyre continually refers to himself as "Prince am I none, yet am I nobly born". With the sentiment that he is "nobly born", Eyre usually speaks disrespectfully to his wife, as well as his workers. In this passage, Eyre asking his wife, Margery to "away" while acknowledging he believes himself superior to most. Eyre believes he is destined for greatness, and by the end of the play has become Lord Mayor of London. This upward mobility of Eyre is hopeful instead of realistic in terms of occurrences in Renaissance England. Typically, a tradesmen such as a shoemaker which is low on the list of trades would not have enough money or clout to become Lord Mayor.

Eyre accomplishes what he hoped he could do and thinks himself justified in calling himself "Prince am I none, yet am I nobly born". Eyre as a character is both detestable and admirable for his actions. He is admirable because he instills a sense of hope in other tradesmen that they too can better their station. He is detestable for his treatment of his workers and his elitist attitude.

Eyre:
Peace Firk. Come skipper, I'll go abroad with you. Hans,
have you made him drink?

Skipper:
Yaw, yaw, ik heb veale gedrunck.

Eyre:
Come, Hans, follow me. Skipper, thou shalt have my
countenance in the city.
(Scene 7, lines 137-141)

Eyre:
Am not I Sim Eyre? Is not Sim Eyre Lord Mayor of London?

Eyre:
Why, my sweet Lady Madgy, think you Simon Eyre can
forget this fine Dutch journeyman? No, vah! Fie, I scorn it.

Simon Eyre acknowledges his role as Lord Mayor of London, after striking a deal with the Dutch Skipper. Essentially, Simon Eyre becomes Lord Mayor because he acquires a great some of money. Here we see the association of the Renaissance Lord Mayor with wealth.

As Lord Mayor of London in the Renaissance, a tradesman would be selected from the London workforce 11. Dekker demonstrates that grocers, like Oatley in Shoemaker's Holiday, had enough money and recognition to become Lord Mayor. The responsibilities of Lord Mayor, as evidenced by Simon and Oatley, included hosting much of the gentry and aristocracy for dinners at the Lord Mayor's home, thus the significant amount of money the tradesmen had prior to becoming Lord Mayor was used for this.

Dekker's portrayal of a shoemaker becoming Lord Mayor is a hopeful one, and would have given a Renaissance audience the drive and determination to work to gain money and attempt to attain lofty goals.

Firk:
O master, is't you that speak bandog and bedlam this
morning? I was in a dream, and mused what madman was
got into the street so early. Have you drunk this morning,
that your throat is so clear?

Eyre:
Ah, well said, Firk; well said, Firk- to work, my fine knave,
to work! Wash thy face, and thou'lt be more blessed.

Firk:
Let them wash my face that will eat it- good master, send
for a souse-wife, if you'll have my face cleaner.

Eyre:
Away, sloven! Avaunt, scoundrel!- Good morrow, Hodge;
good morrow, my fine foreman. (Scene 4, lines 10-20)

In this scene Simon Eyre interacts with his employee, Firk. Firk, as a shoemaker working for Eyre, should have been kept in food and wages by Eyre. Eyre and Firk would have been working together in the home of Eyre and his wife. The relationship between Firk and Eyre shows the relationship between a "master" who is not very attentive to the needs of his workers.

The banter in this scene was typical of the plays written during the Renaissance. Not only does this bickering acknowledge the tension between Firk and Eyre, but also showcases the written style of the time.

The final line noted here is a greeting from Eyre to his other worker Hodge. Hodge and Eyre's relationship differs from the relationship between Eyre and Firk. Eyre appears to ignore requests from Firk and rarely answers him, yet speaks to Hodge in a somewhat friendly tone.

All in all, Eyre primarily acts in his best interest instead of his workers. Even though in the end, Eyre did hold true to his promise of "feast[ing] all the prentices" of London on Shrove Tuesday after he was appointed "Lord Mayor of London" (Scene 21, lines 181-182).