Was Shakespeare a Fraud?

The Oxfordian Theory

Posted by Alice Yoo on October 11, 2011 at 6:00am

This post is sponsored by Anonymous.

Scholars and intellectuals have argued the subject for centuries. Was William
Shakespeare, the man from Stratford-upon-Avon, the true writer who penned the
scope of work attributed to him? Or, was the name Shakespeare merely a cloaked
facade to shield the identity of the works authentic author? Have we all been
played?
Those who believe William Shakespeare did not pen the work are called AntiStratfordians; these scholars believe that Shakespeares life doesnt link up to his
work. They hold that only an aristocrat would have been able to pen such
articulate and elevated prose.
Anti-Stratfordian scholars that hold to the Oxfordian Theory of Shakespeare
Authorship believe that weve been played by a very talented, stealth
Elizabethan courtier named Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. These specific
scholars call themselves Oxfordians.
Oxfordians maintain that Edward de Veres biographical life matches that of the
author of Shakespeares canon (at least more so than the biography of William
Shakespeare of Stratford).
"The reason there's been so much doubt about Shakespeare is this man of Stratford
with the name Shakespeare - his life doesn't link up to his workthere's nothing in
his life that reminds you of his work or vice versa, says Joseph Sobran, author of
the book Alias Shakespeare. Sobran argues that whoever wrote Shakepeare's
sonnets seemed to be an aristocratShakepeare's plays often involved political
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intrigue; Oxford served for a time in the court of Queen Elizabeth. Other
coincidences abound.
"Why is Shakespeare the only great author whose authorship has been questioned
by other great authors" such as Mark Twain and Walt Whitman?
There are several important pieces of evidence that validate the Oxfordian theory.
Here are four of them:
(1) Oxfordians believe there is considerable circumstantial biographical evidence,
including Oxford's connections to the Elizabethan theatre and poetry scene, the
participation of his family in the printing and publication of the First Folio, his
relationship with the Earl of Southhampton, as well as a number of specific
circumstances from Oxford's life that Oxfordians believe are depicted in the plays
themselves.
(2) Edward de Vere,the 17th Earl of Oxford has been noted as a poet/playwright in
several documents as a poet and playwright. The anonymous 1589 Arte of English
Poesie contains a chapter describing the practice of concealed publication by court
figures, which includes a passage listing Oxford as the finest writer of comedy.
Francis Meres 1598 Palladis Tamia, which refers to him as Earle of Oxenford, lists
him among the "best for comedy." Henry Peacham's 1622 The Compleat Gentleman
omits Shakespeare's name and praises Oxford as one of the leading poets of the
Elizabethan era.
(3) Oxford's biographies parallel the plots of Shakespeares plays. Most notable
among these are similarities between Oxford's biography and the actions depicted
in Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, and The Taming of the Shrew, all of which
contain a number of local details that, Oxfordians believe, could only have been
obtained by personal experiences.
(4) 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.
Are the Oxfordians right? And if so, who was the Earl of Oxford, and what did he
really mean in the scope of Elizabethan England? Filmmaker Roland Emmerich
explores the life of Edward de Vere and the Shakespeare authorship debate in his
new political thriller Anonymous.
Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an
issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from
Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud. Experts have
debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to
protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned
works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a
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time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court,
and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed
in the most unlikely of places: the London stage. Anonymous opens in theaters
October 28, 2011.
Sources:
- Sobran,Joseph. Alias Shakespeare. Free Press, 1997.
- I-Chin Tu, Janet. Alas! Poor Shakespeare: Society Debates Authorship. Seattle
Times.
- Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October
1, 2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfordian_theory_of_Shakespeare_authorship