Dolly Walker-Wraight
Encyclopedia
Dolly Walker-Wraight was a British school teacher and writer, notable for her support of Marlovian theory
, the view that Christopher Marlowe
was the true author of Shakespeare's works.
(1961–1967; 1975–1983) and at the William Tyndale
Junior School in Islington, London, (1969–1974). She played a significant role at the start of the educational scandal at the William Tyndale, which culminated in a formal public enquiry in 1975.
Her interest in Marlowe began in 1956 when the American writer Calvin Hoffman
, who popularized the Marlovian theory
, published his book The Murder of the Man who was Shakespeare. Dolly Walker-Wraight's research centred around an interpretation of Shakespeare's sonnets from the perspective of the Marlovian theory. She also joined the Marlowe Society, serving variously as secretary, editor of their newsletter, Chair and Vice-Chair. She began a drama branch to revive the rarely performed plays of Marlowe and his contemporaries. In 1965, she published an illustrated biography: In Search of Christopher Marlowe (in collaboration with the American photographer, Virginia Stern).
She died on 15 February 2002, aged 81.
into different categories according to their meaning, to come closer to the solution of their mystery. She approached the problem by assuming that what the poet himself wrote is as close to the truth as one can get. According to her belief, the basic mistake committed by many interpreters of the Sonnets was that they have assumed that there is only a single young man (the "Fair Youth") to whom most of the sonnets are addressed. She claims to have identified at least three.
The first one is Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton
, whose seventeenth birthday the first seventeen sonnets were commissioned by Lord Burghley
to commemorate. Their intent was to inspire him to marry Burghley's granddaughter.
The second young man of the Sonnets is a certain "William Hatcliffe", one of several candidates to be the Mr. W.H. of the dedication. In this identification she follows the arguments of Leslie Hotson.
The third man is Thomas Walsingham
, Marlowe's friend, who stood him by as he was unjustly dishonoured and forced into exile, for which constancy the poet was indebted to him for the rest of his life, and which the sonnets might illustrate.
According to Walker-Wraight, the order of the sonnets in the original 1609 edition probably was arranged by the poet himself, adopting a form like a five act play. She believes that the poet himself could never have envisaged that his sonnets would be rearranged in the pattern she devised.
Marlovian theory
The Marlovian theory with regard to the Shakespeare authorship question is a fringe theory that holds that the Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe did not die in Deptford on 30 May 1593, as the historical records state, but rather that his death was faked, and that he was the main...
, the view that Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
was the true author of Shakespeare's works.
Life
She married Robert Wraight in 1940 (they divorced in 1963). She earned the Froebel Teachers Diploma in 1958 and worked as a teacher at Dulwich College Preparatory SchoolDulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
(1961–1967; 1975–1983) and at the William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
Junior School in Islington, London, (1969–1974). She played a significant role at the start of the educational scandal at the William Tyndale, which culminated in a formal public enquiry in 1975.
Her interest in Marlowe began in 1956 when the American writer Calvin Hoffman
Calvin Hoffman
Calvin Hoffman, born Leo Hochman , was an American theater press agent and writer who popularized the notion that playwright Christopher Marlowe was the actual author of the works attributed to William Shakespeare...
, who popularized the Marlovian theory
Marlovian theory
The Marlovian theory with regard to the Shakespeare authorship question is a fringe theory that holds that the Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe did not die in Deptford on 30 May 1593, as the historical records state, but rather that his death was faked, and that he was the main...
, published his book The Murder of the Man who was Shakespeare. Dolly Walker-Wraight's research centred around an interpretation of Shakespeare's sonnets from the perspective of the Marlovian theory. She also joined the Marlowe Society, serving variously as secretary, editor of their newsletter, Chair and Vice-Chair. She began a drama branch to revive the rarely performed plays of Marlowe and his contemporaries. In 1965, she published an illustrated biography: In Search of Christopher Marlowe (in collaboration with the American photographer, Virginia Stern).
She died on 15 February 2002, aged 81.
The Shakespeare Sonnets
The methodology in her book "The Story that the Sonnets Tell" was to divide the sonnets of ShakespeareShakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144...
into different categories according to their meaning, to come closer to the solution of their mystery. She approached the problem by assuming that what the poet himself wrote is as close to the truth as one can get. According to her belief, the basic mistake committed by many interpreters of the Sonnets was that they have assumed that there is only a single young man (the "Fair Youth") to whom most of the sonnets are addressed. She claims to have identified at least three.
The first one is Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton
Henry Wriothesley , 3rd Earl of Southampton , was the second son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, and his wife Mary Browne, Countess of Southampton, daughter of the 1st Viscount Montagu...
, whose seventeenth birthday the first seventeen sonnets were commissioned by Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
to commemorate. Their intent was to inspire him to marry Burghley's granddaughter.
The second young man of the Sonnets is a certain "William Hatcliffe", one of several candidates to be the Mr. W.H. of the dedication. In this identification she follows the arguments of Leslie Hotson.
The third man is Thomas Walsingham
Thomas Walsingham (literary patron)
Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer...
, Marlowe's friend, who stood him by as he was unjustly dishonoured and forced into exile, for which constancy the poet was indebted to him for the rest of his life, and which the sonnets might illustrate.
According to Walker-Wraight, the order of the sonnets in the original 1609 edition probably was arranged by the poet himself, adopting a form like a five act play. She believes that the poet himself could never have envisaged that his sonnets would be rearranged in the pattern she devised.
Publications
- In Search of Christopher Marlowe (1965)
- Christopher Marlowe and Edward Alleyn (1993)
- The Story that the Sonnets Tell (1994)
- New Evidence (1996)
- The Legend of Hiram