Difference between revisions of "Shakespeare authorship"
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Revision as of 00:58, 17 June 2008
On the one hand, Anti-Stratfordianism, or the Shakespeare authorship controversy, is a piece of pseudohistory that belies conspiracy theory. On the other, it is a valid reaction to the lack of concrete evidence supporting the historical attribution of the works of Shakespeare to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Stratfordians (those who support the historical attribution) see a significant resemblance between arguments put forth by "anti-Stratfordians" and proponents of intelligent design.[1] However, many doubters, and some scholars would argue the opposite - that the historical attribution is based on strictly circumstantial evidence,[2] and those using accusations of intelligent design are themselves guilty of denialism. In fact, the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition, the group behind the recent "Declaration of Reasonable Doubt About the Identity of William Shakespeare," requests that schools 'teach the controversy.' So while a controversial theory about 16th century playwrights can seem irrelevant, literature and history teachers should keep in mind that addressing the issue in the classroom can help students to better understand and challenge both intelligent design and denialism. Numerous writers, including Mark Twain, Henry James, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, have made statements expressing their doubts about the Stratford man's actual authorship.[3]
Authorship candidates
- Edward deVere, 17th Earl of Oxford: probably the most popular candidate.[4] The "Oxfordian theory" (i.e. "Oxford wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare") was first proposed in 1920 by J. Thomas Looney (pronounced Loh-ney, but still). Oxford plays the role that the Christian God plays in intelligent design: when they say "teach the controversy," they usually mean "suggest that this guy's behind the whole thing."
- Francis Bacon: first proposed by Delia Bacon (no relation; she was just fascinated by their shared surname) in the mid-19th century. Delia's obsession with Shakespearean authorship appears to have been a symptom of severe mental illness.
- Other possibilities: Christopher Marlowe, Queen Elizabeth I, Miguel Crollalanza (Sicilian guy whose last name means "Shakes spear").[5]
See also
- Pseudohistory
- Wikipedia article on Shakespeare Authorship Question
Footnotes
- ↑ Lesser, Zachary. "Mystic Ciphers: Shakespeare and Intelligent Design. American Literary History 19(2007): 350-56.
- ↑ http://www.doubtaboutwill.org/declaration
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfordian_Theory#Notable_Anti-Stratfordians]]
- ↑ H.N. Gibson, The Shakespeare Claimants: A Critical Survey of the Four Principle Theories Concerning the Authorship of the Shakespearean Plays, 2005, Routledge, pages=48, 72, 124, isbn = 0415352908
- ↑ "Shakespeare's Ancestry." National Public Radio. Apr 15, 2000. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1072976