For the purposes of this article the term “Shakespeare” is taken to mean the poet and playwright who wrote the plays and poems in question; and the term “Shakespeare of Stratford” is taken to mean the William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon to whom authorship is generally credited.
The
Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship holds that
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of OxfordEdward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, poet, sportsman, patron of numerous writers, and sponsor of at least two acting companies, Oxford's Men and Oxford's Boys, and a company of musicians...
(1550-1604), wrote the plays and poems attributed to
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
of
Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of the county town, Warwick. It is the main town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers a...
. While a large majority of scholars reject all alternative candidates for authorship, popular interest in various authorship theories continues to grow, particularly among independent scholars and theatre professionals. Since the 1920s, Oxford has been the most widely accepted anti-Stratfordian candidate.
The case for Oxford's authorship is based on perceived similarities between Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays, sonnets and longer poems; parallels of language, idiom, and thought between Oxford's letters and the Shakespearean canon; and underlined passages in Oxford's Bible that may correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays. Oxfordians point to the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries regarding his talent as a poet and a playwright, his reputation as a concealed poet, and his connections to London theatre and the contemporary playwrights of Shakespeare's day. They also note his long term relationships with
Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and the
Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
, his knowledge of Court life, his extensive education, his academic and cultural achievements and his wide-ranging travels through France and Italy. Confronting the issue of Oxford's death in 1604, Oxfordian researchers cite examples they say imply the writer known as "Shakespeare" or "Shake-speare" died before 1609, and point to 1604 as the year regular publication of Shakespeare's plays stopped.
Supporters of the standard view, often referred to as "Stratfordian" or "Mainstream", dispute all contentions in favour of Oxford. Aside from their main argument against the theory, the issue of Oxford's early death, they assert the connections between Oxford's life and the plots of Shakespeare's plays are conjectural or coincidental.
Mainstream view
Supporters of the
mainstreamMainstream is, generally, the common current of thought of the majority. However in the reality, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct. It is a term most often applied in the arts...
view believe the author known as "Shakespeare" was the same William Shakespeare who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, moved to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and became an
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and "sharer" (part-owner) of the acting company called the
Lord Chamberlain's MenThe Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company at which William Shakespeare worked as an actor and playwright for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently...
, owners of the
Globe TheatreThe Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642.A modern...
and the
Blackfriars TheatreBlackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
. He divided his time between London and Stratford, retiring to Stratford in approximately 1613. In 1623, seven years after his death (and after the death of most of the proposed authorship candidates), his plays were collected for publication in the
First FolioMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
edition.
Shakespeare of Stratford is further identified by the following evidence: He left gifts to actors from the London company in his will; the man from Stratford and the author of the works share a common name; and commendatory poems in the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare's works refer to the "Swan of Avon" and his "Stratford monument". Mainstream scholars believe the latter phrase refers to the
funerary monumentWilliam Shakespeare's funerary monument is located inside Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK, the same church in which he was baptised....
in
Holy Trinity Church-Australia:*Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide*Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Launceston*Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Orange-Czech Republic:* Most Holy Trinity Church, Andělská Hora* Most Holy Trinity Church, České Budějovice* Most Holy Trinity Church, Dědice...
, Stratford, which implies Shakespeare of Stratford was a writer (comparing him to
VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works—the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the Aeneid—although several minor poems are also attributed to him.The son of a farmer, Virgil came to be...
and calling his writing a "living art"), and was described as such by visitors to Stratford as far back as the 1630s.
Several pieces of circumstantial evidence support the Stratfordian view: In a 1592 pamphlet by the playwright Robert Greene called "Greene's Groatsworth of Wit", Greene chastises a playwright whom he calls "Shake-scene", calling him "an upstart crow" and a "
Johannes factotum" (a "
Jack-of-all-trades"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a generalist: a person that is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one....
", a man able to feign skill), thus suggesting people were aware of a writer named Shakespeare. Also, poet
John DaviesJohn Davies may refer to:*John Davies of Hereford , poet and satirist*John Davies , lexicographer, translator, and editor of the 1620 Welsh edition of the Bible...
once referred to Shakespeare as "our English
TerencePublius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC, and he died young probably in Greece or on his way back to Rome...
" (Terence being a writer of comedies during the Roman Republic, who started life as a slave). Additionally, Shakespeare's grave monument in Stratford, built within a decade of his death, currently features him with a pen in hand, suggesting he was known as a writer.
Criticism of the Mainstream View
Critics of the mainstream view, known as anti-Stratfordians, have challenged most if not all of the above assertions, claiming there is no direct evidence clearly identifying Shakespeare of Stratford as a playwright. These critics also maintain that Shakespeare of Stratford and the author do not share a common name, pointing out that according to Stratfordian scholar, Sir Edmund K. Chambers, not one of Shakespeare of Stratford's 6 known signatures was spelled “Shakespeare” (I.E., Shaksp, Shakspe, Shakspe, Shakspere, Shakspere and Shakspeare.) Anti-Stratfordians further note the only theatrical reference in Shakespeare of Stratford's will (the gifts to fellow actors) was interlined – i.e., inserted between previously written lines – and thus subject to doubt.
Oxfordian researchers also believe the term "Swan of Avon" can be interpreted in numerous ways. According to the DeVere Society of England, the term would be applicable to the silent front man of a hidden author, as the distinguishing characteristic of the common swan was its silence - hence the name '
Mute SwanThe Mute Swan is a species of swan, and hence in turn a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa...
'. Also,
Charles Wisner BarrellCharles Wisner Barrell was an Oxfordian scholar of the 1940s. Barrell wrote many essays attempting to link Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford to the Shakespeare canon, but he may be best known for subjecting the Ashbourne portrait to X-radiation in hopes of finding hidden clues to its...
published an extensive report establishing numerous ties between Oxford, the river Avon, and the Avon Valley, where Oxford once owned an
estate.
Authorship researcher Mark Anderson believes "Greene's Groatsworth of Wit" implied Shakespeare of Stratford was being given credit for the work of other writers, and that Davies' mention of "our English Terence" was a mixed reference, as many contemporary Elizabethan scholars considered Terence merely a servant/actor who was being used as a front man by several aristocratic playwrights. Anti-Stratfordians also assert Shakespeare's grave monument was clearly altered sometime after the mid-1600s, as Sir William Dugdale's 1656 engraving of the original simply portrays a man holding a wool sack.
Notable anti-Stratfordians
On September 8, 2007, acclaimed British actors
Derek JacobiSir Derek George Jacobi CBE is an English actor and film director. Like Laurence Olivier, he bears the distinction of holding two knighthoods, Danish and British.-Early life:...
and
Mark RylanceMark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
unveiled a "Declaration of Reasonable Doubt" on the authorship of Shakespeare's work, after the final matinee of "I Am Shakespeare", a play investigating the bard's identity, performed in
ChichesterChichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, England. The Declaration named 20 prominent doubters of the past, including
Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted...
,
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
, Sir
John GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor/director/producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
and
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
. The document was sponsored by the
Shakespeare Authorship Coalition and has been signed by over 1,500 people, including 275 academics, to encourage new research into the question. Jacobi, who endorsed a group theory led by the Earl of Oxford, and Rylance, who was featured in the authorship play, presented a copy of the Declaration to
William Leahy* William D. Leahy , American naval officer, colonial official, and diplomat* William Leahy , Australian WWI Distinguished Conduct Medal recipient* F. William Leahy , known as Frank Leahy, American football coach...
, head of English at
Brunel UniversityBrunel University is a higher education institution situated in West London, England. In the latest Government Research Assessment Exercise, 82% of research submitted was rated as of international standing...
, London.
Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted...
: "All the rest of [Shakespeare's] vast history, as furnished by the biographers, is built up, course upon course, of guesses, inferences, theories, conjectures — an Eiffel Tower of artificialities rising sky-high from a very flat and very thin foundation of inconsequential facts"
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
: "I think Oxford wrote Shakespeare. If you don’t agree, there are some awfully funny coincidences to explain away".
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
: "In the work of the greatest geniuses, humble beginnings will reveal themselves somewhere but one cannot trace the slightest sign of them in Shakespeare.... Whoever wrote [Shakespeare] had an aristocratic attitude".
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
: "I no longer believe that ... the actor from Stratford was the author of the works that have been ascribed to him".
Harry A. Blackmun (Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1970 to 1994): "The Oxfordians have presented a very strong — almost fully convincing — case for their point of view. If I had to rule on the evidence presented, it would be in favor of the Oxfordians".
Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens FRSA , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most popular of all time. He created some of literature's most memorable characters. His novels and short stories have never gone out of print...
: "It is a great comfort, to my way of thinking, that so little is known concerning the poet. The life of Shakespeare is a fine mystery and I tremble every day lest something turn up".
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s...
: "Other admirable men had led lives in some sort of keeping with their thought, but this man in wide contrast".
Walt WhitmanWalter Whitman was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
: "Conceived out of the fullest heat and pulse of European feudalism — only one of the 'wolfish earls' so plenteous in the plays themselves, or some born descendant and knower, might seem to be the true author of those amazing works".
John Paul StevensJohn Paul Stevens is the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the Supreme Court in 1975 and is the oldest member of the Court. He was appointed to the Court by Republican President Gerald Ford. Stevens is widely considered to be on the liberal side of the...
(The senior Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1975 - present): "He never had any correspondence with his contemporaries, he never was shown to be present at any major event -- the coronation of James or any of that stuff. I think the evidence that he was not the author is beyond a reasonable doubt."
Antonin Gregory Scalia (Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1986 - present): "My wife, who is a much better expert in literature than I am, has berated me. She thinks we Oxfordians are motivated by the fact that we can't believe that a commoner could have done something like this, you know, it's an aristocratic tendency... It is probably more likely that the pro-Shakespearean people are affected by a democratic bias than the Oxfordians are affected by an aristocratic bias." "
History of the Oxfordian theory
The Oxford theory was first proposed by
J. Thomas LooneyJohn Thomas Looney , pronounced "Lōney", was an English school-reacher who originated the Oxfordian theory regarding the authorship of the authorship of Shakespeare's plays....
in his 1920 work
Shakespeare Identified in Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, subsequently persuading
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
,
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
, Marjorie Bowen, and many other early 20th-century intellectuals of the case for Oxford's authorship. Oxford rapidly became the favoured alternative to the orthodox view. In 1921, Sir George Greenwood and other proponents of the anti-Stratfordian perspective joined to found
The Shakespeare FellowshipTwo organizations by this name, both devoted to the study of the Shakespeare authorship question, have existed. The first was founded in England in 1921 by J.Thomas Looney, Sir George Greenwood, and others. It maintained worldwide membership, chiefly in the U.K. and the United States. During the...
, an organization dedicated to the discussion of alternative views of authorship.
In 1984,
Charlton OgburnCharlton Ogburn, Jr. was an author and freelance professional writer. He was the author of over a dozen books and numerous magazine articles. The Marauders , his first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II, may be his best-known work; it was later made into the film Merrill's...
's
The Mysterious William Shakespeare renewed the case for Oxford's authorship with an abundance of new research, and engaged in a critique of the standards and methods used by the orthodox school. In his
Shakespeare Quarterly review of Ogburn's book, Richmond Crinkley, former Director of Educational Programs at the
Folger Shakespeare LibraryThe Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
, acknowledged the appeal of Ogburn's approach: "Doubts about Shakespeare came early and grew rapidly. They have a simple and direct plausibility", and the dismissive approach of conventional scholarship encouraged such doubts: "The plausibility has been reinforced by the tone and methods by which traditional scholarship has responded to the doubts." Although Crinkley rejected Ogburn's thesis, believing the "case made for Oxford leaves one unconvinced", he also concluded "a particular achievement of ... Ogburn is that he focused our attention so effectively on what we do not know about Shakespeare.
Biographical evidence
While there is no direct documentary evidence connecting Oxford (or any authorial candidate) to the plays of Shakespeare, Oxfordian researchers, including Mark Anderson and
Charlton OgburnCharlton Ogburn, Jr. was an author and freelance professional writer. He was the author of over a dozen books and numerous magazine articles. The Marauders , his first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II, may be his best-known work; it was later made into the film Merrill's...
, maintain Oxford's connections to the First Folio, the
Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
, and to the Elizabethan theatre and poetry scene, as well as the numerous parallels between Oxford's life and events depicted in the plays, provide such a connection:
The three dedicatees of Shakespeare's works (the earls of
SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
,
MontgomeryPhilip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, 1st Earl of Montgomery KG was an English courtier and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I...
and
PembrokeWilliam Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, KG, PC was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his third wife Mary Sidney. Chancellor of the University of Oxford, he founded Pembroke College, Oxford with James VI of Scotland and I of England...
) were each proposed as husbands for the three daughters of Edward de Vere.
Venus and AdonisVenus and Adonis is a poem by William Shakespeare, written in 1592-93, with a plot based on passages from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It is a complex, kaleidoscopic work, using constantly shifting tone and perspective to present contrasting views of the nature of love.-Publication:Venus and Adonis was...
and
The Rape of LucreceThe Rape of Lucrece is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. In his previous narrative poem, Venus and Adonis , Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, the Earl of Southampton, in which he promised to write a "graver work"...
were dedicated to Southampton, and the
First FolioMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
of Shakespeare's plays was dedicated to Montgomery (who married Susan de Vere) and Pembroke (who was once engaged to Bridget de Vere). Oxford was a leaseholder of the first
Blackfriars TheatreBlackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
and produced grand entertainments at court; he was the son-in-law of Lord Burghley, who is often regarded as the model for
PoloniusPolonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
; his daughter was engaged to
Henry Wriothesley, Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
, (many scholars believe Southampton to have been the Fair Youth of the
SonnetsShakespeare's sonnets, or simply The Sonnets, is a collection of poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. They were probably written over a period of several years...
); his mother, Margory Golding, was the sister of the
OvidPublius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who wrote about love, seduction, and mythological transformation....
translator
Arthur GoldingArthur Golding was an English translator.He was the son of Jonathon Golding of Belchamp St Paul and Halsted, Essex, an auditor of the Exchequer, and was probably born in London. His half-sister, Margaret, married John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford. By 1549 Arthur was in the service of Edward...
; and Oxford's uncle,
Henry Howard, Earl of SurreyHenry Howard, Earl of Surrey KG was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
, was the inventor of the Shakespearean
SonnetThe sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in lyric poetry from Europe.The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song". By the thirteenth century, it had come to signify a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme...
(or English Sonnet) form.
Shakespeare placed many of his plays in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and sprinkled them with detailed descriptions of Italian life. Though there are no records Shakespeare of Stratford ever visited Europe, historical documents confirm Oxford lived in Venice, and traveled for over a year through Italy. According to Anderson, the Italian cities Oxford definitely visited in 1575-1576 were Venice, Padua, Milan, Genoa, Palermo, Florence, Siena and Naples and he probably also passed through Messina, Mantua and Verona — all cities Shakespeare wrote into the plays, while (except for Rome) the Italian cities Oxford bypassed are the same cities Shakespeare ignored.
In 1588, due to ongoing financial problems, Oxford sold his house,
Fisher’s FollyFisher’s Folly is a house in Bishopsgate Street, in Bishopsgate Ward Without built by Jasper Fisher around 1580. The Earl of Oxford owned it and sold it to William Cornwallis...
, to
William CornwallisAdmiral Sir William Cornwallis, GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
. In 1852,
James Orchard Halliwell-PhillippsJames Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps was an English Shakespearean scholar.The son of Thomas Halliwell, he was born in London and was educated privately and at Jesus College, Cambridge. He devoted himself to antiquarian research, particularly into early English literature...
discovered a volume, “Anne Cornwaleys her booke,” apparently the day book of Cornwallis’ daughter Anne, which Halliwell-Phillipps believed was written sometime in 1595. Anne’s handwritten book contains “Verses Made by the Earl of Oxforde,” “Anne Vavasour’s Echo” (Anne Vavasour was Oxford's mistress 1579–1581, by whom he fathered an illegitimate child), and also a poem ascribed in 1599 to "Shakespeare" by
William JaggardWilliam Jaggard was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays...
in
The Passionate PilgrimThe Passionate Pilgrim is an anthology of poems, published in 1599, which according to the title-page were "By W. Shakespeare".-Editions:The Passionate Pilgrim was published by William Jaggard, later the publisher of Shakespeare's First Folio...
. According to Charles Wisner Barrell, Anne’s version was superior textually to the one published by Jaggard, and is the first handwritten example we have of a poem ascribed to Shakespeare.
While Oxfordians concede the names Avon and Stratford have become irrevocably linked to Shakespeare with the 1623 publication of the
First FolioMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
, they also note Edward de Vere once owned an estate in the
Avon-Rivers:*River Avon, various rivers*Avon Water, a river in Scotland*Avon River, New Zealand, a river at Christchurch-Canada:*Avon, New Brunswick, in the province of New Brunswick*Avon, Ontario, in the province of Ontario...
river valley near the Forest of Arden, and the nearest town to the parish of
HackneyHackney was a parish in the ancient county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney, was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th century parish church dedicated to St Augustine . The original tower of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be...
, where de Vere later lived and was buried, was also named Stratford. Oxfordians also regard Dr. John Ward's 1662 statement, that Shakespeare spent at a rate of £1,000 a year, as a critical piece of evidence given that, in an oft-noted parallel, Oxford received an unexplained annuity from the notoriously thrifty Queen Elizabeth of exactly £1,000 a year.
Was Oxford a concealed writer?
Oxford was known as a dramatist and court poet of considerable merit, but not one example of his plays survives under his name. A major question in Oxfordian theory is whether his works were published anonymously or pseudonymously.
AnonymousAnonymous works are works, such as art or literature, that have an anonymous, undisclosed, or unknown creator or author. In the United States it is legally defined as "a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author."...
and pseudonymous publication was a common practice in the sixteenth century publishing world, and a passage in the
Arte of English Poesie (1589), the leading work of literary criticism of the Elizabethan period and an anonymously published work itself, alludes to the practice of concealed publication by literary figures in the court. Oxfordian researchers believe these passages support their claim that Oxford was one of the most prominent "suppressed" writers of the day:
In Queenes Maries time florished above any other Doctout Phaer one that was well learned & excellently well translated into English verse Heroicall certaine bookes of Virgils Aeneidos. Since him followed Maister Arthure Golding, who with no lesse commendation turned into English meetre the Metamorphosis of Ouide, and that other Doctour, who made the supplement to those bookes of Virgils Aeneidos, which Maister Phaer left undone. And in her Maiesties time that now is are sprong up another crew of Courtly makers Noble men and Gentlemen of her Maiesties owne servaunts, who have written excellently well as it would appear if their doings could be foundout and made publicke with the rest, of which number is first that noble Gentleman Edward Earle of Oxford, Thomas Lord of Bukhurst, when he was young, Henry Lord Paget, Sir Philip Sydney, Sir Walter Rawleigh Master Edward Dyar, Maister Fulke Grevell, Gascon, Britton, Turberuille and a great many other learned Gentlemen, whose names I do not omit for envie, but to avoyde tediousneffe, and who have deserved no little commendation. But of them all particularly this is myne opinion, that Chaucer, with Gower, Lidgat and Harding for their antiquitie oughte to have the first place, and Chaucer as the most renowmed of them all, for the much learning appeareth to be in him aboue any of the rest.
Andrew Hannas, in an article titled “On Grammar and Oxford in
The Art of English Poesie”, paraphrased the passage: "In earlier days these writers’ poetry found their way into print, and now we have many in our own Queen’s time whose poetry would be much admired if the extent of their works could be known and put into print as with those poets I have just named ["made publicke with the rest"], poets from Chaucer up through Golding and Phaer-Twinne, translators of Ovid and Virgil. And here are the NAMES of the poets [Oxford, Buckhurst, Sidney,
et al.] of our Queen’s time who deserve such favorable comparison “with the rest” [the Chaucer
et al. list] But still, “of them all” [Chaucer through the Oxford–Sidney list], I would give highest honours to Chaucer because of the learning in his works that seems better than any of all of the aforementioned names ["aboue any of the rest"], and special merit to the other poets in their respective genres."
Oxfordians note that at the time of the passage's composition (pre-1589), the writers referenced were themselves concealed writers. First and foremost Sir Philip Sydney, none of whose poetry was published until after his death. Similarly, by 1589 nothing by Greville was in print and none of Walter Raleigh’s works had been published (except one commendatory poem 12 years earlier in 1576).
Oxfordians also believe the satirist John Marston's 1598 publication of his
Scourge of Villanie contains further indications Edward de Vere was a concealed writer:
.......Far fly thy fame,
Most, most of me beloved, whose silent name
One letter bounds. Thy true judicial style
I ever honour, and if my love beguile
Not much my hopes, then thy unvalu'd worth
Shall mount fair place when Apes are turned forth.
The word Ape means pretender or mimic, and Oxfordians maintain the writer whose silent name is bound by one letter is
Edward de Ver
E.
Oxford as a poet and playwright
There are three principal pieces of evidence praising Oxford as a poet and a playwright:
(1) The anonymous 1589
Arte of English Poesie, usually attributed to George Puttenham, contains a chapter describing the practice of concealed publication by court figures, which includes a passage listing Oxford as the finest writer of comedy:
for Tragedie, the Lord of Buckhurst, & Maister Edward Ferrys for such doings as I haue sene of theirs do deserue the hyest price: Th'Earle of Oxford and Maister Edwardes of her Maiesties Chappell for Comedy and Enterlude.
(2) Francis Meres' 1598
Palladis Tamia, which refers to him as Earle of Oxenford, lists him among the "best for comedy". Shakespeare's name appears further down the same list.
so the best for comedy amongst us bee, Edward Earle of Oxenforde, Doctor Gager of Oxforde, Maister Rowley once a rare Scholar of learned Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, Maister Edwardes one of her Majesty's Chapel, eloquent and witty John Lilly, Lodge, Gascoyne, Greene, Shakespeare, Thomas Nash, Thomas Heywood, Anthony Munday our best plotter, Chapman, Porter, Wilson, Hathway, and Henry Chettle.
Stratfordians believe Shakespeare's appearance on the same list proves Oxford and Shakespeare were different writers. Oxfordians contend that, as of 1598, Meres simply wasn't aware of Oxford's use of the Shakespeare pseudonym.
(3) Henry Peacham's 1622
The Compleat Gentleman omits Shakespeare's name and praises Oxford as one of the leading poets of the Elizabethean era, saying:
In the time of our late Queene Elizabeth, which was truly a golden Age (for such a world of refined wits, and excellent spirits it produced, whose like are hardly to be hoped for, in any succeeding Age) above others, who honoured Poesie with their pennes and practise (to omit her Maiestie, who had a singular gift herein) were Edward Earle of Oxford, the Lord Buckhurst, Henry Lord Paget; our Phoenix, the noble Sir Philip Sidney, M. Edward Dyer, M. Edmund Spencer, M. Samuel Daniel, with sundry others; whom (together with those admirable wits, yet liuing, and so well knowne) not out of Ennuie but to auoid tediousnesse, I overpasse. Thus much of Poetrie.
Stratfordians disagree with this interpretation of Peacham, asserting that Peacham copied large parts of Puttenham's work but only used the names of those writers he considered "gentlemen", a title Peacham felt did not apply to actors. They further argue his list is of poets only and he did not include playwrights, neglecting for example Christopher Marlow.
Although not strictly a report on Oxford's ability as a playwright, there is also a description of the esteem to which he was held as a writer in
The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois, a 1613 play by
George ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, who has been suggested as the
Rival PoetShakespeare's Sonnets feature several 'characters,' either fictional or real persons. Several theories about them have been expounded, and scholarly debate continues to put forward both conflicting and compelling arguments. One such character is the Rival Poet, whom the author sees as a rival for...
of Shake-speares Sonnets:
I overtook, coming from Italy
In Germany, a great and famous Earl
Of England; the most goodly fashion’d man
I ever saw: from head to foot in form
Rare and most absolute; he had a face
Like one of the most ancient honour’d Romans
From whence his noblest family was deriv’d;
He was besides of spirit passing great
Valiant and learn’d, and liberal as the sun,
Spoke and writ sweetly, or of learned subjects,
Or of the discipline of public weal*Commonwealth, a form of government without a monarch in which people have governmental influence*Common good, the notion of high quality of life for people in general-See also:*League of the Public Weal, a French feudal alliance in the 15th century...
s:
And ‘twas the Earl of Oxford.
Oxford’s lyric poetry
Much of Oxford's early lyric poetry survives under his own name. In the opinion of J. Thomas Looney, as
“far as forms of versification are concerned De Vere presents just that rich
variety which is so noticeable in Shakespeare; and almost all the forms he employs we find
reproduced in the Shakespeare work...."
"So far as the natural disposition of the writer is concerned...(t)he personality they
reflect is perfectly in harmony with that which peer through the writings of Shakespeare.
There are traces undoubtedly of those defects which the sonnets disclose in “Shakespeare,”
but through it all there shines the spirit of an intensely affectionate nature, highly
sensitive, and craving for tenderness and sympathy. He is a man with faults, but stamped
with reality and truth; honest even in his errors, making no pretence of being better than
he was, and recalling frequently to our minds the lines in one of Shakespeare’s sonnets:"
I am that I am, and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own.
As far as the quality of Edward de Vere’s known verse is concerned, Oxfordians respond to the charge that it is not at the level one would expect of a “Shakespeare” in two ways. First, Oxford’s known works are those of a young man and as such should be consider
juveniliaJuvenilia is a term applied to literary, musical or artistic works produced by an author during his or her youth.The term was first recorded in 1622 in George Wither's poetry collection Ivvenilia. Later, other notable poets, such as John Dryden and Alfred Lord Tennyson came to use the term for...
. And second, neither is
Titus AndronicusTitus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest tragedy; it is believed to have been written in the early 1590s. It depicts a Roman general who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with his enemy Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. The play is by far Shakespeare's bloodiest work...
, and whoever wrote that play eventually wrote
Hamlet. As Joseph Sobran observed, “The objection may be still made that…Oxford’s poetry remains far inferior to Shakespeare’s. But even granting the point for the sake of argument, ascribing authorship on the basis of quality is an uncertain business. Early in the (20th) century some scholars sought to exclude such plays as
Titus Andronicus … on the grounds that they were unworthy of Shakespeare. Today their place is secure…. The poet who wrote
King Lear was at some time also capable of writing
Titus Andronicus.”
The 1604 problem
For mainstream critics, the most compelling evidence against Oxford is that he died in 1604, whereas they contend that a number of plays by Shakespeare were written after that date. These critics most often cite
The TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–11, although some researchers have argued for an earlier dating. The play's protagonist is the banished sorcerer Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, who initially uses his magical powers to punish his enemies when he raises a...
, Henry VIII and
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth, commonly just Macbeth, is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
as almost certainly having been written after 1604.
Oxfordian scholars, on the other hand, have cited examples they say imply the writer of the plays and poems died prior to 1609, when
Shake-Speares Sonnets appeared with the enigmatic words "our ever-living poet" on its title page. These researchers claim the words "ever-living" rarely, if ever, refer to someone who is alive, but instead refers to the eternal soul of the deceased. Additionally, they assert 1604 is the year Shakespeare "mysteriously" stopped writing. If these claims were true, it would give a boost to the Oxfordian candidacy, as
BaconFrancis Bacon,1st Viscount St Alban KC , son of Nicholas Bacon by his second wife Anne Bacon, was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, and author. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
,
DerbyWilliam Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman.He was a son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford. His mother was heiress presumptive of Elizabeth I of England from 1578 to her own death in 1596.His maternal grandparents were Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of...
, Neville, and Shakespeare of Stratford all lived well past the 1609 publication of the Sonnets.
Publication
Regarding dates of publication, Mark Anderson, in
Shakespeare by Another Name, stresses that from 1593 through 1603 the publication of new Shake-speare’s plays "appeared at the rate of 2 per year". Then, in 1604, Shake-speare fell silent" and stopped (new play) publication for almost 5 years. Anderson further states "the early history of reprints ... also point to 1604 as a watershed year", and notes that during the years of 1593–1604, whenever an inferior or pirated text was published, it was then typically followed by a genuine text that was "newly augmented" or "corrected". Anderson summarizes, "After 1604, the 'newly correct[ing]' and 'augment[ing]' stops. Once again, the Shake-speare enterprise appears to have shut down".
Composition
Respecting the plays' dates of composition, Oxfordians note the following: In 1756, in
Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Ben Jonson, W. R. Chetwood concludes on the basis of performance records "at the end of the year of [1603], or the beginning of the next, 'tis supposed that [Shakespeare] took his farewell of the stage, both as author and actor." In 1874, German literary historian
Karl ElzeKarl Friedrich Elze was a German scholar and Shakespearian critic.Having studied classical philology, and modern, but especially English, literature at the university of Leipzig, he was a master for a time in the Gymnasium at Dessau, and in 1875 was appointed extraordinary, and in 1876 ordinary,...
dated both
The TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–11, although some researchers have argued for an earlier dating. The play's protagonist is the banished sorcerer Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, who initially uses his magical powers to punish his enemies when he raises a...
and
Henry VIIIThe Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth is a history play by William Shakespeare, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication in the First Folio...
— traditionally labeled as Shakespeare’s last plays — to the years 1603-04. In addition, the majority of 18th and 19th century scholars, including notables such as
Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been...
,
Lewis TheobaldLewis Theobald , British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire...
,
George SteevensGeorge Steevens , was an English Shakespearean commentator.He was born at Poplar, the son of a captain and later director of the East India Company. He was educated at Eton College and at King's College, Cambridge, where he remained from 1753 to 1756...
, Edmund Malone, and James Halliwell-Phillipps, placed the composition of
Henry VIII prior to 1604. And in the 1969 and 1977 Pelican/Viking editions of Shakespeare’s plays,
Alfred HarbageAlfred Bennett Harbage was an influential Shakespeare scholar of the mid-20th century. He was born in Philadelphia and received his undergraduate degree and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He lectured on Shakespeare both there and at Columbia before becoming a professor at Harvard...
showed the composition of
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth, commonly just Macbeth, is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
,
Timon of AthensThe Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about an Athenian misanthrope named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
,
PericlesPericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. Modern editors generally agree that Shakespeare is responsible for the main...
,
King LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king...
and
Antony and CleopatraAntony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Life of Markus Antonius and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Parthian War to...
— all traditionally regarded as "late plays" — likely did not occur after 1604.
Science
Anderson also observes that while Shakespeare refers to the latest scientific discoveries and events right through the end of the 16th century, "Shakespeare is mute about science after de Vere’s [Oxford’s] death in 1604". Anderson especially notes Shakespeare never mentioned the spectacular supernova of October 1604 or Kepler’s revolutionary 1609 study of planetary orbits.
Notable silences
Because Shakespeare of Stratford lived until 1616, Oxfordians question why, if he were the author, did he not eulogize
Queen ElizabethElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
at her death in 1603 or
Henry, Prince of WalesHenry Frederick, Prince of Wales was the eldest son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name comes from grandfathers Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark....
, at his in 1612. They believe Oxford's 1604 death provides the explanation. In an age when such actions were expected, Shakespeare also failed to memorialize the coronation of James I in 1604, the marriage of Princess Elizabeth in 1612, and the investiture of Prince Charles as the new Prince of Wales in 1613.
Similarly, when Shakespeare of Stratford died, he was not publicly mourned. As Mark Twain wrote, in
Is Shakespeare Dead?Is Shakespeare Dead? is a short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean literary canon via satire, anecdote, and extensive quotation of contemporary authors on the subject.The...
, "When Shakespeare died in Stratford it was not an event. It made no more stir in England than the death of any other forgotten theater-actor would have made. Nobody came down from London; there were no lamenting poems, no eulogies, no national tears — there was merely silence, and nothing more. A striking contrast with what happened when Ben Jonson, and Francis Bacon, and Spenser, and Raleigh, and the other literary folk of Shakespeare’s time passed from life! No praiseful voice was lifted for the lost Bard of Avon; even Ben Jonson waited seven years before he lifted his."
Diana Price, in
Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography, notes that for a professional author, Shakespeare of Stratford seems to have been entirely uninterested in protecting his work. Price explains that while he had a well documented habit of going to court over relatively small sums, he never sued any of the publishers pirating his plays and sonnets, or took any legal action regarding their practice of attaching his name to the inferior output of others. Price also notes there is no evidence Shakespeare of Stratford was ever paid for writing and his detailed will failed to mention any of Shakespeare's unpublished plays or poems or any of the source books Shakespeare was known to have read. Oxfordians also note Shakespeare of Stratford's relatives and neighbors never mentioned he was famous or a writer, nor are there any indications his heirs demanded or received payments for his supposed investments in the theatre or for any of the more than 16 masterwork plays unpublished at the time of his death. Mark Twain, commenting on the subject, said, "Many poets die poor, but this is the only one in history that has died THIS poor; the others all left literary remains behind. Also a book. Maybe two."
Contemporary statements
In 1607 William Barkstead (or Barksted), a minor poet and playwright, appeared to state in his poem "Mirrha the Mother of Adonis" that Shakespeare was already deceased.
His Song was worthy merit (Shakespeare he)
sung the fair blossom, thou the withered tree
Laurel is due him, his art and wit
hath purchased it, Cypress thy brow will fit.
Joseph Sobran, in
Alias Shakespeare, notes the cypress tree was a symbol of mourning, and believes Barkstead was specifically writing of Shakespeare in the past tense ("His song was worthy") — after Oxford’s death in 1604, but prior to Shakespeare of Stratford’s death in 1616.
Parallels with Hamlet
Numerous Oxfordian researchers, including Ogburn and Anderson, point to
HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
as the play most easily seen as portraying Oxford's life story.
- As in Hamlet
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
, Oxford's father died suddenly (in 1562) and his mother remarried shortly thereafter.
- At 15, Oxford was made a royal ward and placed in the household of Lord 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.-Early life:Cecil was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire in...
, who was the Lord High TreasurerThe post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer is an old English government position. The holder of the post is third highest of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President of the Council...
and Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's closest and most trusted advisor. Burghley is regarded by mainstream scholars as the prototype for the character of chief minister PoloniusPolonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
. Oxfordians point out that in the First Quarto the character was not named Polonius, but Corambis (Cor ambis means "two-hearted") — a swipe, as Charlton Ogburn said, "at Burghley’s motto, Cor unum, via una, or 'one heart, one way.'"
- Hamlet was engaged to marry Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and sweetheart of Prince Hamlet.-Origins:...
, daughter to Polonius, while Edward de Vere was engaged to marry (and did marry) Anne Cecil, daughter to Burghley.
- One of Hamlet’s chief opponents at court was Laertes
In Greek mythology, Laërtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus. Laërtes was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar...
, the son of Polonius, while one of Oxford’s chief opponents at court was Robert Cecil, the son of Lord Burghley. Like LaertesIn Greek mythology, Laërtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus. Laërtes was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar...
, who received the famous list of maxims from his father Polonius, Robert Cecil received a similarly famous list from his father Burghley — a list the mainstream scholar E. K. Chambers acknowledged was the author's likely source.
- In the play, Polonius sent the spy Reynaldo to watch his son when Laertes was away at school — and for similar reasons, Lord Burghley sent a spy to watch his son, Thomas, when he was away in Paris.
- Hamlet was a member of the higher nobility, supported an acting company and had trusted companions named Horatio
Horatio is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. A friend of Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University, Horatio's origins are unknown, though he is evidently poor and was present on the battlefield when Hamlet's father defeated 'the ambitious Norway'...
and Francisco. Likewise, Oxford was a member of the higher nobility, supported several acting companies, and had two famous cousins named Horace (or Horatio) Vere and Francis VereFrancis Vere was an English soldier, famous for his career in Dutch service.He was the son of Geoffrey Vere of Crepping Hall, Essex, and nephew of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford.-Military career:...
. Both Sir Horatio Vere (as he was also known) and Hamlet's friend Horatio had the same personality, being known for their ability to remain calm under all conditions.
- While returning from Italy in 1576 Oxford met a cavalry division outside of Paris that was being led by a German duke. He then encountered pirates in the English Channel. As Anderson stated: “Just as Hamlet’s review of Fortinbras’ troops leads directly to an ocean voyage overtaken by pirates, de Vere’s meeting with Duke Casimir’s army was soon followed by a Channel crossing intercepted by pirates." In Act IV, Hamlet describes himself as "set naked" in "the kingdom". In a parallel which Oxfordians consider striking, after Oxford's real-life abduction, the Channel pirates left him stripped naked on the Danish shore, recalling Hamlet's line "I am set naked on your shore...". Anderson notes, "Neither the encounter with Fortinbras’ army nor Hamlet’s brush with buccaneers appears in any of the play's sources – to the puzzlement of numerous literary critics.)”
Parallels with the Plays
In addition to
Hamlet, Oxfordian researchers note numerous instances where Oxford's personal and court biographies parallel the plots and subplots of the plays. Most notable among these are similarities between Oxford's biography and the actions depicted in
The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio, and while it shares certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps more remembered for its dramatic...
and
The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord...
, both of which contain a number of local details that, Oxfordians believe, could only have been obtained by personal experiences;
Henry VHenry V may refer to:* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor * Henry V of England * Henri, comte de Chambord, nominally Henry V of France,...
and
Henry VI, Part 3Henry the Sixth, Part 3, is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written in approximately 1590, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. It prepares the ground for one of his best-known and most controversial plays: the history of Richard III...
, where the Earls of Oxford are given much more prominent roles than their limited involvement in the actual history of the times would allow; The Life and Death of King John, where Shakespeare felt it necessary to air-brush out of existence the traitorous
Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of OxfordRobert de Vere was the second surviving son of Aubrey de Vere III, first earl of Oxford, and Agnes of Essex. Almost nothing of his life is known until he married in 1207 the widow Isabel de Bolebec, the aunt and co-heiress of his deceased sister-in-law. The couple had one child, a son, Hugh,...
. and
Henry IV, Part 1Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
, which includes a well-known robbery scene with uncanny parallels to a real-life incident involving Oxford..
Oxfordians have also claimed many parallels between Oxford's relationship with his wife, Anne Cecil, and incidences in such plays as
OthelloOthello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
,
CymbelineCymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance. Like Othello, Measure for Measure, and The Winter's Tale, it deals with the...
, The Winter’s Tale and
Measure for MeasureMeasure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was originally classified as a comedy, but is now also classified as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, the play's first recorded performance was...
, as well as the primary plot of
All's Well That Ends WellAll's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It was probably written between 1601 and 1608, and it was first published in the First Folio in 1623....
, upon which J. Thomas Looney noted:
Bertram, a young lord of ancient lineage, of which he is himself proud, having lost a father for whom he entertained a strong affection, is brought to court by his mother and left as a royal ward, to be brought up under royal supervision. As he grows up he asks for military service and to be allowed to travel, but is repeatedly refused or put off. At last he goes away without permission. Before leaving he had been married to a young woman with whom he had been brought up, and who had herself been most active in bringing about the marriage. Matrimonial troubles, of which the outstanding feature is a refusal of cohabitation, are associated with both his stay abroad and his return home. Such a summary of a story we have been told in fragments elsewhere, and is as near to biography or autobiography if our theory be accepted, as a dramatist ever permitted himself to go.
Parallels with the Sonnets and poems
In 1609, a volume of 154 linked poems was published under the title
SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS, apparently without the participation of its author. Most historians believe someone other than Shakespeare also wrote its dedication. The focus of the series appears to follow the author’s relationships with three characters, whose identities remain controversial: the Fair Youth, the Dark Lady or Mistress and the
Rival PoetShakespeare's Sonnets feature several 'characters,' either fictional or real persons. Several theories about them have been expounded, and scholarly debate continues to put forward both conflicting and compelling arguments. One such character is the Rival Poet, whom the author sees as a rival for...
. The Fair Youth is generally, but far from universally, thought by mainstream scholars to be
SouthhamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
. The Dark Lady is believed by some Oxfordians to be Anne Vavasour (or Vasasor), who bore the Earl of Oxford a son out of wedlock, whom she named Edward Vere. While there is no consensus candidate for the Rival Poet, some suppose he could have been
Christopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. The foremost Elizabethan tragedian next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious and untimely death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest...
or
George ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, although a strong case was made by the Oxfordian Peter R. Moore for Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
Oxfordians assert that the inclusion of "by our ever-living poet" in its dedication implies the author was dead, "ever-living" being generally understood to mean the person in question was deceased. Oxfordians assert that not one researcher has been able to provide an example where the term "ever-living" referred to an individual who was alive at the time. Nevertheless, it remains debatable whether the phrase, in this context, refers to Shakespeare or to God.
Oxfordians also believe the finality of the title (
Shake-Speares Sonnets) suggests it was a completed body of work, with no further sonnets expected. They also consider the Sonnets one of the more serious problems facing Stratfordians, who differ among themselves as to whether the Sonnets are fictional or autobiographical. Joseph Sobran questions why, if the sonnets were fiction, did Shakespeare of Stratford — who lived until 1616 — fail to publish a corrected and authorized edition? If, on the other hand, they are autobiographic, why did they fail to match the Stratford man's life story? According to Sobran and other researchers, the themes and personal circumstances expounded by the author of the Sonnets are remarkably similar to Oxford's biography.
Age
Oxford was born in 1550, and was between 40 and 53 years old when he presumably wrote the sonnets. Shakespeare of Stratford was born in 1564. Even though the average life expectancy of Elizabethans was short, being between 26 and 39 was not considered old. In spite of this, age and growing older are recurring themes in the Sonnets:
-
-
- Sonnet 138
... vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best.
Shakespeare also described his relationship with the Fair Youth as like "a decrepit father." However, Shakespeare of Stratford was only 9 years older then Southampton, while Oxford was 23 years older.
-
-
- Sonnet 37
As a decrepit father takes delight
To see his active child do deeds of youth,
So I, made lame by Fortune’s dearest spite,
Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth....
Lameness
In his later years, Oxford described himself as "lame". On several occasions, the author of the sonnets also described himself as lame:
-
-
- Sonnet 37
- I, made lame by fortune’s dearest spite...
-
-
- Sonnet 89
- Speak of my lameness, and I straight will halt...
-
-
- Edward de Vere’s letter of March 25, 1595 to Lord Burghley
- "When Your Lordship shall have best time and leisure if I may know it, I will attend Your Lordship as well as a lame man may at your house."
Law
Sobran maintains the Sonnets “abound not only in legal terms — more than 200 — but also in elaborate legal conceits.” These terms include:
allege, auditor, defects, exchequer, forfeit, heirs, impeach, lease, moiety, recompense, render, sureties, and
usage. Shakespeare also uses the then newly-minted legal term, "quietus" (final settlement), in the last
Fair Youth sonnet.
-
-
- Sonnet 134
- So now I have confessed that he is thine,
- And I myself am mortgaged to thy will,
- Myself I’ll forfeit, so that other mine
- Thou wilt restore to be my comfort still.
- But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free,
- For thou art covetous, and he is kind:
- He learned but surety-like to write for me,
- Under that bond that him as fast doth bind.
- The statute of thy beauty thou wilt take,
- Thou usurer that put’st forth all to use,
- And sue a friend came debtor for my sake;
- So him I lose through my unkind abuse....
Oxford was trained in the law and, in 1567, was admitted to Gray’s Inn, one of the
Inns of CourtThe Inns of Court in London are the professional associations to one of which every barrister in England and Wales must belong. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional accommodation...
which Justice Shallow reminisces about in
Henry IV, Part 2Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
.”
Southampton – The Fair Youth
Oxfordians, along with many mainstream scholars, believe
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
, Oxford's associate and hoped-for son-in-law, is the "fair youth" referred to in the early sonnets. Sobran notes "the first seventeen sonnets, the
procreation poems, give every indication of belonging to
BurghleyWilliam 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.-Early life:Cecil was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire in...
’s campaign to make [Southampton] marry his granddaughter, [who was] Oxford’s daughter Elizabeth Vere. Obviously, Oxford would have known all three parties.... It is hard to imagine how Mr. Shaksper (of Stratford) could have known any of them. Let alone have been invited to participate in the effort to encourage the match." Sobran also observes that in 16th-century England, actors and playwrights did not presume to give advice to the nobility, and believes “It is clear, too, that the poet is of the same rank as the youth. He praises, scolds, admonishes, teases, and woos him with the liberty of a social equal who does not have to worry about seeming insolent.... 'Make thee another self, for love of me' (Sonnet 10), is impossible to conceive as a request from a poor poet to his patron: it expresses the hope of a father — or a father-in-law. And Oxford was, precisely, Southampton’s prospective father-in-law."
Sobran also cites Sonnet 91, contending the "lines imply that he (the author) is in a position to make such comparisons, and the 'high birth' he refers to is his own.”:
Thy love is better than high birth to me,
Richer than wealth, prouder than garments’ cost,
Of more delight than hawks or horses be.
Oxfordian author, William Farina noted as well that in Sonnets 40 through 42 the Fair Youth seems to have gone on to steal the Dark Lady from Shakespeare, however in Sonnet 42 he is forgiven with the words "we must not be foes." As Farina wrote, the "idea of Will Shakespere (of Stratford) offering such assurance to the Earl of Southampton is truly a smiler."
Public disgrace
Sobran also believes “scholars have largely ignored one of the chief themes of the Sonnets: the poet’s sense of disgrace.... [T]here can be no doubt that the poet is referring to something real that he expects his friends to know about; in fact, he makes clear that a wide public knows about it... Once again the poet’s situation matches Oxford’s.... He has been a topic of scandal on several occasions. And his contemporaries saw the course of his life as one of decline from great wealth, honor, and promise to disgrace and ruin. This perception was underlined by enemies who accused him of every imaginable offense and perversion, charges he was apparently unable to rebut."
-
-
- Sonnet 29
When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heav’n with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope....
-
-
- Sonnet 112
Your love and pity doth th' impression fill
Which vulgar scandal stamped upon my brow,
For what care I who calls me well or ill,
So you o'er-green my bad, my good allow?
As early as 1576 Edward de Vere was writing about this subject in his poem
Loss of Good Name,
http://www.elizabethanauthors.com/oxfordpoems.htm which Professor Steven W. May described as "a defiant lyric without precedent in English Renaissance verse."
Lost Fame
The poems
Venus and Adonis and
Lucrece, first published in 1593 and 1594 under the name “William Shakespeare”, proved highly popular for several decades - with
Venus and Adonis published 6 more times before 1616, while
Lucrece required 4 additional printings during this same period. By 1598, they were so famous, London poet and sonneteer Richard Barnefield wrote:
Shakespeare.....
Whose Venus and whose Lucrece (sweet and chaste)
Thy name in fame's immortal Book have plac't
Live ever you, at least in Fame live ever:
Well may the Body die, but Fame dies never.
Despite such publicity, Sobran observed, “[t]he author of the Sonnets expects and hopes to be forgotten. While he is confident that his poetry will outlast marble and monument, it will immortalize his young friend, not himself. He says that his style is so distinctive and unchanging that ‘every word doth almost tell my name,’ implying that his name is otherwise concealed – at a time when he is publishing long poems under the name William Shakespeare. This seems to mean that he is not writing these Sonnets under that (hidden) name.”
-
-
- Sonnet 81
...Or you survive, when I in earth am rotten;
From hence your memory death cannot take’
Although in me each part will be forgotten.
Your name from hence immortal life shall have’
Though I, once gone, to all the world must die;
The earth can yield me but a common grave’
When you entombed in men’s eyes shall lie.
Your monument shall be my gentle verse’
Which eyes not yet created shall o’ver-read,
And tongues to be your being shall rehearse…
-
-
- Sonnet 72
My name be buried where my body is,
And live no more to shame nor me, nor you…
Based on these sonnets, and others, Oxfordians assert that if the author expected his "name" to be "forgotten" and "buried", it would not have been the name that permanently adorned the published works themselves.
Prince Tudor theory
In a letter in 1933,
J. Thomas LooneyJohn Thomas Looney , pronounced "Lōney", was an English school-reacher who originated the Oxfordian theory regarding the authorship of the authorship of Shakespeare's plays....
mentions in a postscript that Percy Allen and Captain Ward were advancing views in regard to Oxford and Queen Elizabeth that were extravagant and improbable. The ideas Ward and Allen developed have become known as the Prince
TudorThe House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch Henry Tudor, descended paternally from the rulers of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth, and maternally from a legitimised branch of the English royal...
or PT Theory. The PT Theory has split the Oxfordian movement into the orthodox Oxfordians, who regard the theory as an impediment to Oxford's recognition as Shakespeare, and the PT Theorists, who maintain
their theory better explains Oxford's life and authorship.
The PT Theory advances the belief that Oxford and Queen Elizabeth had a child who was raised as
Henry WriothesleyHenry Wriothesley may refer to:*Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton *Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , patron of William Shakespeare...
, 3rd
Earl of SouthamptonThe title of Earl of Southampton was created three times in the Peerage of England . The second creation was associated with a subsidiary title, Baron Wriothesley...
. It is to this young Earl that Shakespeare dedicated
Venus and AdonisVenus and Adonis, a classical myth, was a common subject for art during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Some works which have been titled Venus and Adonis are:...
and
The Rape of LucreceThe Rape of Lucrece is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. In his previous narrative poem, Venus and Adonis , Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, the Earl of Southampton, in which he promised to write a "graver work"...
.
This Star of England by
Charlton and Dorothy OgburnCharlton Ogburn, Jr. was an author and freelance professional writer. He was the author of over a dozen books and numerous magazine articles. The Marauders , his first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II, may be his best-known work; it was later made into the film Merrill's...
devoted space to facts supporting this theory, which was expanded by Elisabeth Sears'
Shakespeare and the Tudor Rose, and Hank Whittemore in
The Monument, an analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnets which interprets the poems as a poetic history of Queen Elizabeth, Oxford, and Southampton. Paul Streitz's
Oxford: Son of Queen Elizabeth I advances a variation on the theory: that Oxford himself was the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth.
Oxford's death
The primary objection to the Oxfordian theory is Edward de Vere's 1604 death, after which, according to Stratfordians, a number of Shakespeare's plays are conventionally believed to have been written.
Oxfordians respond that as the conventional dates for the plays were developed by Stratfordian scholars to fit within the Stratfordian theory, they remain conjectural and self-serving. Oxfordians also note a number of the so-called "later plays", such as
Henry VIIIThe Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth is a history play by William Shakespeare, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication in the First Folio...
,
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth, commonly just Macbeth, is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
,
Timon of AthensThe Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about an Athenian misanthrope named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
and
PericlesPericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. Modern editors generally agree that Shakespeare is responsible for the main...
have been described as incomplete or collaborative, whereas under the Oxfordian theory some of them were revised by another author after Oxford's death.
Stratfordians reject these arguments and cite examples to support their point:
- The Tempest is considered by most mainstream scholars to have been inspired by William Strachey's description of a 1609 Bermuda shipwreck. However, mainstream literary scholar Kenneth Muir
Kenneth Arthur Muir was a twentieth-century literary scholar and author, prominent in the fields of Shakespeare studies and English Renaissance theatre...
noted "the extent of verbal echoes of the [Bermuda] pamphlets has, I think, been exaggerated." Oxfordians point to previously acknowledged sources that show some of the words and images in The Tempest may actually derive from Richard Eden's "The Decades of the New Worlde Or West India" (1555) and Erasmus's "Naufragium"/"The Shipwreck" (1523). Both sources are mentioned by previous scholars as influencing the composition of The Tempest, and Oxfordians point to new research by Lynne Kositsky and Roger Stritmatter they believe confirms this.
- Henry VIII
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth is a history play by William Shakespeare, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication in the First Folio...
was described as a new play in 1613. Oxfordians believe this distinction may simply be the result of Elizabethan marketing, as London diarist Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys, FRS was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration, to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II...
also referred to Henry VIII as being "new" in 1663, when the play was over 50 years old. Also, many 18th- and 19th-century scholars, including Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been...
, Lewis TheobaldLewis Theobald , British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire...
, George SteevensGeorge Steevens , was an English Shakespearean commentator.He was born at Poplar, the son of a captain and later director of the East India Company. He was educated at Eton College and at King's College, Cambridge, where he remained from 1753 to 1756...
, Edmund Malone, and James Halliwell-Phillipps, placed the composition of Henry VIII prior to 1604, as they believed Elizabeth’s execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (the king's mother) made any vigorous defense of the TudorsThe House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch Henry Tudor, descended paternally from the rulers of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth, and maternally from a legitimised branch of the English royal...
politically inappropriate in the England of James IJames I may refer to:* James I, Count of La Marche , Count of Ponthieu* King James I of Aragon * King James I of Sicily , also King James II of Aragon...
.
- Stratfordians contend that Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth, commonly just Macbeth, is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
represents the most overwhelming single piece of evidence against the Oxfordian position, asserting the play was written in the aftermath of the Gunpowder PlotThe Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, as it was then known, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics against King James I of England and VI of Scotland...
, which was discovered on 5 November 1605, a year after Oxford died. In particular, Stratfordians claim the porter's lines about "equivocation" may allude to the trial of Father Garnet in 1606. Oxfordians respond that the concept of "equivocationEquivocation is classified as both a formal and informal fallacy. It is the misleading use of a term with more than one meaning or sense ....
" was the subject of a 1583 tract by Queen Elizabeth's chief councillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council. Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman...
Lord Burghley, as well as of the 1584 Doctrine of Equivocation by the Spanish prelateA prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who either is an ordinary or ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, literally, "carry before," or "to be set above, or over," or "to prefer," hence a prelate is one set over...
Martin Azpilcueta, which was disseminated across Europe and into England in the 1590s. In addition, A. R. Braunmuller, in the New Cambridge edition, finds the post-1605 arguments inconclusive, and argues only for an earliest date of 1603.
Additional objections
In addition to the problem of Edward de Vere's 1604 death, supporters of the orthodox view dispute all contentions in favour of Oxford. In
The Shakespeare Claimants, a 1962 examination of the authorship question, H. N. Gibson concluded that "... on analysis the Oxfordian case appears to me a very weak one". Mainstream critics also assert the connections between Oxford's life and the plots of Shakespeare's plays are conjectural, and the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries for his poetic and dramatic skill was distinctly modest.
More specifically, Professor Jonathan Bate, in
The Genius of Shakespeare (1997) stated that Oxfordians can not “provide any explanation for …technical changes attendant on the King’s Men’s move to the Blackfriars theatre four years after their candidate’s death. …Unlike the Globe, the Blackfriars was an indoor playhouse” and so required plays with frequent breaks in order to replace the candles it used for lighting. “The plays written after Shakespeare’s company began using the Blackfriars in 1608,
CymbelineCymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance. Like Othello, Measure for Measure, and The Winter's Tale, it deals with the...
and The Winter’s Tale for instance, have what most .... of the earlier plays do not have: a carefully planned five-act structure.” If new Shakespearean plays were being written especially for presentation at the Blackfriars' theatre after 1608, they could not have been written by Edward de Vere..
Stratfordians also stress that any supposedly special knowledge of the aristocracy appearing in the plays can be more easily explained by Shakespeare of Stratford’s life-time of performances before nobility and royalty, and possibly, as Gibson theorizes, “by visits to his patron’s house, as Marlowe visited Walsingham.”
In addition, Stratfordian scholars point to an undated poem written circa 1620 by a student at Oxford, William Basse, that mentioned the author Shakespeare died in 1616, which is the year Shakespeare of Stratford deceased and not Edward de Vere.
Mainstream critics further claim that if William Shakespeare of Stratford did not write the plays and poems, the number of people needed to suppress this information would have made their attempts highly unlikely to succeed. And John Mitchell, in
Who Wrote Shakespeare, noted that "[a]gainst the Oxford theory are several references to Shakespeare, later than 1604, which imply that the author was then still alive". Also, a method of computerized textual comparison developed by the Claremont Shakespeare Clinic compared the styles of Oxford with Shakespeare and found the odds of Oxford having written Shakespeare as "lower than the odds of getting hit by lightning".
Some Stratfordian academics also argue the Oxford theory is based on simple snobbishness: that anti-Stratfordians reject the idea that the son of a mere tradesman could write the plays and poems of Shakespeare.
Oxfordian responses
Addressing Professor Bate's Blackfriars theory, Oxfordians, such as Richard Malim, point to
Allardyce NicollJohn Ramsay Allardyce Nicoll was an English literary scholar and teacher.Allardyce Nicoll was born and educated in Glasgow. He became a lecturer at King's College London in 1920 and took the chair of English at East London College John Ramsay Allardyce Nicoll (1894 – 1976) was an English literary...
's 1958 essay
Shakespeare and the Court Masque in which the promenient mainstream critic discussed the assumption that
The Winter’s Tale,
The Tempest,
Cymbeline and
Pericles "were written for the indoor Blackfriars Theatre at which Shakespeare’s Company began to act in 1610. Since the assumption has a good deal of scholarly support, perhaps it may prove salutary,… to stress that all available evidence is either completely negative or else runs directly counter to such a supposition.” He concluded that “except for the apocryphal
The Two Noble KinsmenThe Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean comedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare, based on "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Formerly a point of controversy, the dual attribution is now generally accepted by the scholarly...
, issued 18 years after Shakespeare’s death…..we have … absolutely no justification whatsoever for associating Shakespeare with the Blackfriars at all.”
In respect to the mainstream supposition that Shakespeare of Stratford was a full-time actor, J. Thomas Looney stated that, “Although the company with which his name is associated toured frequently and widely in the provinces, and much has been recorded of their doings, no municipal archive, so far as is known, contains a single reference to him.” Regarding the Stratfordian claims concerning Shakespeare’s many "patrons", Oxfordians point out there is little or no evidence they actually existed, the only indications being the dedications to
SouthhamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , one of William Shakespeare's patrons, 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.- Early life :He was born on 6 October 1573, in Cowdray...
in
Lucrece and
Venus and Adonis. As mentioned by Gerald E. Bentley in
Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook, "in spite of the thousands of pages that have been written on the Earl of Southampton as the poet's patron, the only facts so far established are Shakespeare’s dedication of the two long poem's to him in 1593 and 1594". Furthermore, no record of any payment to Shakespeare from a potential patron has ever been discovered, nor was Charlotte C. Stopes, the author of Southampton's standard biography, able to uncover any evidence of a Southampton–Shakespeare connection beyond the dedications, despite an extensive five-year search.
While disputing how few people were needed to suppress information in Elizabethan England, Oxfordians, such as Price and Anderson, have also noted that by the mid-1590’s there appeared in print a series of statements indicating a prominent poet was not who he said he was. These include Ben Jonson’s circa 1599 poem “On Poet-Ape” concerning the “poet-ape, that would be thought our chief;” Thomas Bastard’s 1598 epigram, concerning a widely admired author who “concealest his name;” Thomas Edwardes' epilogue to his 1595
Narcissus, concerning a disgraced nobleman with a ‘bewitching pen,’ which appeared immediately after his tribute to
Venus and Adonis and the 1597-1598 Joseph Hall – John Marston “Labeo” controversy, which called Shakespeare a front man.
In response to John Mitchell's assertion concerning "several" post-1604 references, Oxfordians note that Mitchell cites only two: John Davies of Hereford's 1610 "Terence" epigram and the anonymous preface to the 1609 edition of
Troilus and Cressida, both of which Ogburn interpreted as generally supporting the Oxfordian position, asserting Davies' epigram can be interpreted as saying "Shake-speare was a nobleman who lost caste by appearing on the stage". Mitchell acknowledged "No one knows quite what to make of these lines." Regarding the undated and unsigned preface to
Troilus and Cressida, its heading contains the words "A never writer to an ever reader. Newes," which Oxfordians take to mean, "A writer who never was to a constant reader" or even "A
n E.Ver writer to an
E.Ver reader." Diana Price believed this phrase also “brought to mind the earl of Oxford’s probable posie, ‘Ever or Never.’”
Addressing the various computer comparisons, Oxfordians counter that Shakespearean computer studies are subject to intrepretation and have proved inaccurate. For example, the findings of one such study supported the belief "A Funeral Elegy" was written by Shakespeare, with only 3 chances out of 1,000 it was written by someone else. However, its author is now widely believed to have been
John FordJohn Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
.
Contrasting accusations of "snobbishness", Oxfordians note the statement of Canon Professor
Vigo Auguste DemantVigo Auguste Demant, Anglican clergyman, theologian and social commentator, was one of the 14 committee members who served on the Wolfenden report on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution. He was born on November 8, 1893 and died on March 3, 1983 at the age of 89...
, Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, who stated: "This was not a matter of social class, or education or even of ideas. It concerned the unconscious attitudes of the world and life. Quite early on Looney had to meet the criticism that his was a 'snob' view, holding that a man who had not been to a university and was of bourgeois origin could not be a literary giant. Looney somewhat resented the stupidity of this criticism. Certainly, he maintained, genius arises in any social milieu and is quite independent of formal education (witness Burns). But some background and peculiar personal attitudes indeliberately colour a man’s work, and another man without them cannot produce counterfeits." Oxfordians note figures such as
Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted...
,
Walt WhitmanWalter Whitman was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
,
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
,
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
, Friederich Nietzsche, and
Malcolm XMalcolm X , also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against...
, none of whom are obvious candidates for snobbery, have all expressed anti-Stratfordian views.
Further reading
- Anderson, Mark. "Shakespeare" by Another Name: The Life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, The Man Who Was Shakespeare. Gotham, 2005 (expanded paperback edition 2006).
- Verily Anderson
Verily Anderson is a British writer, best known for writing the screenplay for No Kidding, based on the book Beware of Children, writing Brownie books and writing the genealogy books about the Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families. Verily Bruce was educated at Edgbaston High School for Girls,...
, The De Veres of Castle Hedingham, published 1993
- Austin, Al, and Judy Woodruff. The Shakespeare Mystery. 1989. Frontline documentary film about the Oxford case.
- Farina, William. De Vere as Shakespeare: An Oxfordian Reading of the Canon. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2006.
- Fowler, William Plumer. Shakespeare Revealed in Oxford's Letters. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Peter E. Randall, 1986.
- Hope, Warren
-Biography:Hope was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1944, and educated in the public schools there. After graduating from Philadelphia's Central High School, Hope served in the United States Air Force, and then attended the Community College of Philadelphia. Eventually,Hope received a BA,...
, and Kim Holston. The Shakespeare Controversy: An Analysis of the Authorship Theories (2nd Edition) (Jefferson, N.C. and London: McFarland and Co., 2009). ISBN 0-786-43917-3
- Looney, J. Thomas
John Thomas Looney , pronounced "Lōney", was an English school-reacher who originated the Oxfordian theory regarding the authorship of the authorship of Shakespeare's plays....
. Shakespeare Identified in Edward de Vere, Seventeenth Earl of Oxford. London: Cecil Palmer, 1920. (The first book to promote the Oxford theory.)
- Malim, Richard, ed. Great Oxford: Essays on the Life and Work of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, 1550-1604. London: Parapress, 2004.
- Ogburn, Charlton
Charlton Ogburn, Jr. was an author and freelance professional writer. He was the author of over a dozen books and numerous magazine articles. The Marauders , his first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II, may be his best-known work; it was later made into the film Merrill's...
. The Mysterious William Shakespeare: The Myth & the Reality. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1984. (Influential book that criticises orthodox scholarship and promotes the Oxford theory.)
- Price, Diana. Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography: New Evidence of An Authorship Problem. Westport, Ct: Greenwood, 2001. (Introduction to the evidentiary problems of the orthodox tradition.)
- Sobran, Joseph. Alias Shakespeare: Solving the Greatest Literary Mystery of All Time. Free Press, 1997.
- Stritmatter, Roger. The Marginalia of Edward de Vere's Geneva Bible: Providential Discovery, Literary Reasoning, and Historical Consequence. 2001 University of Massachusetts Ph.D. dissertation.
- Ward, B.M. The Seventeenth Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) From Contemporary Documents. London: John Murray, 1928.
- Whalen, Richard. Shakespeare: Who Was He? The Oxford Challenge to the Bard of Avon. Westport, Ct.: Praeger, 1994.
General Non-Stratfordian
- The Shakespeare Authorship Trust, survey of all the authorship candidates, a site patronised by the acclaimed actor Mark Rylance and Dr William Leahy of Brunel University, UK
Oxfordian
Stratfordian