Who Wrote Shakespeare?

by JohnMichell (Author)

• New

  Big Book
  1999

  $26.26

  Was the famous poet and writer really a fraud and plagarist? Was his name really a pseudonym for a well-known contemporary figure? These questions have been debated since the 18th century. The facts about Shakespeare are surprisingly meagre, and contrast puzzlingly with the learned, courtly philosopher revealed in the sonnets and plays. Respected scholars and obsessive eccentrics have put forward many theories, suggesting that the works of Shakespeare were written by Francis Bacon, the Earl of Oxford, or Marlow. This is an investigation of the claims and counter-claims, reading like a series of detective stories. He lays out the evidence and the arguments for the various candidates, not forgetting Shakespeare himself, and provides a drily humorous commentary on the research and prejudices of their champions while adding insights of his own.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1996

  $3.47

  The riddle of Shakespeare's authorship remains one of the great mysteries of the modern world. Was the famous writer and poet a fraud and a plagarist? Was Shakespeare the upstart crow described by Greene as strutting in borrowed feathers, or Johnson's Poet-Ape who patched together plays from other's work? Was his name merely a pseudonym for a well known contemporary figure. The orthodox view is that the author of the works of Shakespeare was the actor and businessman of Stratford-upon-Avon. But the known facts about this man are suprisingly meagre and contrast puzzlingly with the learned courtly philosopher revealed in the Sonnets and plays. Scholars and eccentrics have devoted years to the search for evidence and many different theories have been put forward. Some believe that Francis Bacon may have used the name of an obscure actor to disseminate his philosophy; others thought that Hamlet mirrored the psyche of the Earl of Oxford; and yet others suggest that Marlowe was not killed, as thought, in a drunken brawl but lived on secretly to write as Shakespeare. This book investigates the many claims and counter-claims of Shakespeare's identity. It lays out the evidence and arguments for various candidates, not forgetting Shakespeare himself, and provides a dry commentary on the research.