Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Coalition of Brits Aims to Expose Shakespeare
Backstage: "Some of Britain's most distinguished Shakespearean actors have reopened the debate over whether William Shakespeare, a 16th century commoner raised in an illiterate household in Stratford-upon-Avon, wrote the plays that bear his name."
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2 comments:
I have always found this debate particularly interesting since being introduced to it freshman year. I'm currently torn between both sides; both have some compelling arguments and I am no expert. Quickly reading this "declaration", I don't see any earth shatteringly new additions to the list of reasons. The one thing about Shakespeare that leads me to agree is the quality of the plays, the presence of so many allusions and the careful weaving of multiple meanings into the text. However, I think that Shakespeare did write the attributed works. These folios did not appear out of nowhere. Shakespeare spent most of his adult life as an actor and playwright. I had the opportunity this past summer to participate in a small group discussion including one of the actors in the globe theater's company, and when asked about this she said that most of the people working at the globe, who probably know the most because their professional work is recreating Shakespearean theater, agree that Shakespeare was real.
I agree with Jason on how the feeling of being split between the debate. But my real question with this debate is so what. I understand if there is someone else who wrote it, they are being cheated of authorship. But why didn't they say anything at the time of Shakespeare? Why didn't their family? I feel like even if one day it is revealed that Marlowe or de Vere or the Earl did write it, it will be very much like the result that pluto is not a planet. Some people won't believe it, others will, and we will kinda be left in the same place that we are now debating if it really is shakespeare or not.
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