Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship: Difference between revisions

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	Oxfordians prefer to distinguish between ''Shakespeare'', which they consider a pen name for the author of the plays, and ''Shaksper'' the actor from ] who also lived at the approximate time that the plays were written. Oxfordians call those who hold that the Stratford actor was also the author of Shakespeare's plays ''Stratfordians''.		Oxfordians prefer to distinguish between ''Shakespeare'', which they consider a pen name for the author of the plays, and ''Shaksper'' the actor from ] who also lived at the approximate time that the plays were written. Oxfordians call those who hold that the Stratford actor was also the author of Shakespeare's plays ''Stratfordians''.

	First proposed by ] in ], Oxford is presently the most popular of several anti-Stratfordian candidates for the real Shakespeare. Oxfordians base their arguments on striking similarities between Lord Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays, the acclaim of his contemporaries regarding his talent as a poet and a playwright, his closeness to ] and Court life, underlined passages in his that correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays, parallel phraseology and similarity of thought in his extant letters (Fowler 1986), and his extensive education and intelligence.		First proposed by ] in ], Oxford is presently the most popular of several anti-Stratfordian candidates for the real Shakespeare. Oxfordians base their arguments on striking similarities between Lord Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays. He was, for example, the son-in-law of Lord Burghley, who is widely regarded as the model for Polonius. His own daughter was engaged to Henry Wriothesley, the ""fair youth" of the Sonnets, at the time that most believe the first sonnets were written. The acclaim of his contemporaries regarding his talent as a poet and a playwright, his closeness to ] and Court life, underlined passages in his that correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays, parallel phraseology and similarity of thought in his extant letters (Fowler 1986), and his extensive education and intelligence are all cited as evidence in support of his authorship.

	According to Stratfordians, the most convincing argument against Oxford's authorship is that ten of Shakespeare's plays are probably dated after Oxford's death in ], and several of them specifically refer to events following his death. For example, '']'' alludes to a ] shipwreck in ]. Supporters of the standard view further dispute all of the contentions in favor of Lord Oxford. The supposed connections between Oxford's life and the plots of Shakespeare's plays is conjectural at best, for instance, and the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries for his poetic and dramatic skill was distinctly modest. The passages marked in Oxford's Bible seem - to Stratfordians - to bear small connection to Shakespeare's plays. Indeed the annotator seems most interested in passages advocating charitable concern for the poor, not a powerful theme in Shakespeare's work. Near contemporaries, such as ], indicated that Shakespeare got many details wrong in his depiction of life at court, which suggests that Oxford's court connections do not support the case for his authorship very strongly.		According to Stratfordians, the most convincing argument against Oxford's authorship is that ten of Shakespeare's plays are probably dated after Oxford's death in ], and several of them specifically refer to events following his death. For example, '']'' alludes to a ] shipwreck in ].

			Supporters of the standard view further dispute all of the contentions in favor of Lord Oxford and assert that the connections between Oxford's life and the plots of Shakespeare's plays are "conjectural," and that the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries for his poetic and dramatic skill was distinctly modest.

	==External links==		==External links==

Revision as of 22:51, 19 February 2005

This image of William Shakespeare, known as the Ashbourne Portrait, is claimed by some Oxfordians to be a portrait of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford that has been painted over at a later date. However, in 1979, during restoration, it was discovered that the original sitter was in fact Sir Hugh Hamersley, a former Mayor of London.

The Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship holds that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare. This theory is not generally accepted.

Oxfordians prefer to distinguish between Shakespeare, which they consider a pen name for the author of the plays, and Shaksper the actor from Stratford-on-Avon who also lived at the approximate time that the plays were written. Oxfordians call those who hold that the Stratford actor was also the author of Shakespeare's plays Stratfordians.

First proposed by John Looney in 1920, Oxford is presently the most popular of several anti-Stratfordian candidates for the real Shakespeare. Oxfordians base their arguments on striking similarities between Lord Oxford's biography and events in Shakespeare's plays. He was, for example, the son-in-law of Lord Burghley, who is widely regarded as the model for Polonius. His own daughter was engaged to Henry Wriothesley, the ""fair youth" of the Sonnets, at the time that most believe the first sonnets were written. The acclaim of his contemporaries regarding his talent as a poet and a playwright, his closeness to Queen Elizabeth I and Court life, underlined passages in his Bible that correspond to quotations in Shakespeare's plays, parallel phraseology and similarity of thought in his extant letters (Fowler 1986), and his extensive education and intelligence are all cited as evidence in support of his authorship.

According to Stratfordians, the most convincing argument against Oxford's authorship is that ten of Shakespeare's plays are probably dated after Oxford's death in 1604, and several of them specifically refer to events following his death. For example, The Tempest alludes to a 1609 shipwreck in Bermuda.

Supporters of the standard view further dispute all of the contentions in favor of Lord Oxford and assert that the connections between Oxford's life and the plots of Shakespeare's plays are "conjectural," and that the acclaim of Oxford's contemporaries for his poetic and dramatic skill was distinctly modest.

External links

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William Shakespeare