Another Shakespeare authorship theory

October 5, 2005 9:44 PM

Yet another Shakespeare authorship theory. The question of whether William Shakespeare authored the works that bear his name has been earnestly debated for centuries. , with Francis Bacon being a consistent front runner as an alternate author. Recent scholarship is now pointing towards Sir Henry Neville (c1562-1615), who may have written himself in as Falstaff in several of the plays. A book on the subject is out next month.
posted by wilful (29 comments total)

I sort of agree with the people that think there's an underlying classism to the notion that Shakespeare had to be someone from the upperclass, that Shakespeare couldn't have been someone from a normal background with an amazing grasp of language.
posted by dial-tone at 9:52 PM on October 5, 2005

Although that said, a bloke who never left his mother country wrote with fair authority about places he could never have visited.
posted by wilful at 10:01 PM on October 5, 2005

Fair authority, like setting action in the seacoast of Bohemia?
posted by Justinian at 10:02 PM on October 5, 2005

MeTa

Today!
posted by lalochezia at 10:03 PM on October 5, 2005

Shakespeare was Shakespeare.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:04 PM on October 5, 2005

Francis Bacon, natch.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 10:04 PM on October 5, 2005

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:05 PM on October 5, 2005

jinx, Gyan.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:07 PM on October 5, 2005

1) Come up with alternative Shakespeare hypothesis.
2) Profit!
posted by delmoi at 10:12 PM on October 5, 2005

Sorry about the double post. I both searched for the Shakespeare tag and avidly read yesterday's MeFi, but somehow missed it.

(but mine's a better post, nyah nyah)
posted by wilful at 10:15 PM on October 5, 2005

Double, double toil and trouble.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:29 PM on October 5, 2005

The linked article contains nothing new. Great writers are able to (gasp!) imagine different people and places and bring them to life.

And yes, it is rampant classism. Try Greenblatt instead.

But I'll admit I'm a sucker for this stuff, in a tinfoil kind of way.
posted by bardic at 10:30 PM on October 5, 2005

I thought he was Jack the Ripper.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 10:43 PM on October 5, 2005

Metafilter: Double, double toil and trouble.
posted by Chuckles at 10:43 PM on October 5, 2005

Double, double toil and trouble.

Clevar.

Two posts, or not two posts? That is the question.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 10:44 PM on October 5, 2005

uncanny hengeman writes " I thought he was Jack the Ripper."

Awesome comment. Cheers, man.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:45 PM on October 5, 2005

Interesting. This is way more solid than the other stuff I have read.

Bayesian analysis on whatever Neville writing we have and on Shakespeare's works should provide a very useful bit of data.
posted by teece at 10:53 PM on October 5, 2005

lalochezia: "MeTa" usually denotes a link to MetaTalk. The blue part of the site is "MeFi".

Ill deeds are doubled with an evil word.
posted by dhartung at 10:53 PM on October 5, 2005

Out! Damned Spot!
posted by Balisong at 11:24 PM on October 5, 2005

I'll second bardic. Classist balderdash!
posted by papakwanz at 11:45 PM on October 5, 2005

Here's another article by one of the authors of this new theory: The Theory of Evolution: Just a Theory?
posted by papakwanz at 11:50 PM on October 5, 2005

Here's a decent, brief dissection of this new authorship theory, raising some of the key problems with it (as with any anti-Stratfordian theory): Stromata


(sorry for so many posts in such a short time... i should probably think these through in advance.)
posted by papakwanz at 12:00 AM on October 6, 2005

Fucking hell, is it really that tough to scroll down the front page?
posted by NinjaPirate at 12:44 AM on October 6, 2005

I did the Bayesian analysis a bit back, but not with Neville. Turns out it wasn't Marlowe, though.
posted by amery at 12:44 AM on October 6, 2005

can't we just be thankful that someone wrote these works of genius and leave it at that?
posted by JohannStrauss at 1:07 AM on October 6, 2005

I'm sorry, people, but have you ever seen Francis Bacon act? Or write? Go look it up at the google video search. Every time he picks up the quill, he just kind of pokes himself in the eye with it. He's completely mentally incompetent.

And Henry Neville? He's illiterate! I'm serious, go look up his report cards.
posted by shmegegge at 1:07 AM on October 6, 2005

For the definitive site that debunks anti-Stratfordian claims, check out the Shakespeare Authorship Page.
posted by jonp72 at 4:38 AM on October 6, 2005

fWhy is it that all the writers considered tops in the field do not believe that anyone other than Shakespeare wrote the plays? Not a one of them.
posted by Postroad at 4:41 AM on October 6, 2005

I always knew that Ted Sorenson wrote the best parts. Shakespeare was just another pretty face.
posted by allen.spaulding at 4:45 AM on October 6, 2005