And the Shakespeare debate rages on . . .

wendy · Post by **wendy** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 12:42 pm

Yet another movie with a theory!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/thea ... peare.html

SGM · Post by **SGM** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 6:37 pm

[quote=""wendy""]Yet another movie with a theory!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/thea ... peare.html[/quote]

I have no strong opinion on the subject and I am not generally a conspiracy-theorist. But having studied some of the "problem plays", it does seem that more than one hand was involved but those plays do tend to be early ones and some collaberation, I understand, was normal for writers attached to the theatre companies.

I understand that Derek Jacobi is of the "committee" or "collaboration "school of believers but I tend to follow (unusually) the David Starkey belief that "classics" are not generally written by committee.

I don't take the Hollywood hocus-pocus too seriously and just appreciate an amazing body of literary work. But I always remember the discussions about Shakespeare at school and college and that we should not forget that Shakespeare was a popular writer and if he had been writing today, it would have been something for mass consumption -- Coronation Street?

annis · Post by **annis** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 6:55 pm

Yes, this isn't a new idea- there have been theories about the authorship of Shakespeare's work around for a very long time. Marlowe often gets mixed up in there too as a possible alternative candidate.

It's rather like Homer - was there "a" Homer, or was Homer's work the result of collected work from various bards, all attributed to an eponymous Homer?

It's fun to speculate, but it has to be said- does it matter? Wouldn't we still enjoy these wonderful works regardless of who actually wrote them? "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 6:55 pm

"Anonymous" actually looks like an interesting movie, even if I don't believe Oxford was the "real" Shakespeare.

SM

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 7:20 pm

[quote=""annis""]

It's fun to speculate, but it has to be said- does it matter? Wouldn't we still enjoy these wonderful works regardless of who actually wrote them? "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

[/quote]

Yes! This. Exactly.

SGM · Post by **SGM** » Wed October 26th, 2011, 7:26 pm

[quote=""annis""]It's fun to speculate, but it has to be said- does it matter?[/quote]

No -- it doesn't unless you have nothing better to do with your time. I think I would rather spend the time reading the plays.

wendy · Post by **wendy** » Thu October 27th, 2011, 12:57 pm

[quote=""annis""]Yes, this isn't a new idea- there have been theories about the authorship of Shakespeare's work around for a very long time. Marlowe often gets mixed up in there too as a possible alternative candidate.[/quote]

Had he not died so tragically young I believe Marlowe may have become as great as Shakespeare, but for my money they were two very different writers / rivals.

I enjoyed "Shakespeare In Love" - that movie really brought the period to life.

Any one got a particular favorite play? If I HAD to choose one it would be
"Macbeth" -

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Thu October 27th, 2011, 1:20 pm

This is a theme that surfaces every so often.....apparently the residents of Stratford-on-Avon aren't too happy about the film. But it's often said that Marlowe wrote some of the plays.

Ludmilla · Post by **Ludmilla** » Thu October 27th, 2011, 1:27 pm

[quote=""wendy""]Any one got a particular favorite play? If I HAD to choose one it would be
"Macbeth" -[/quote]

I've always been partial to King Lear.

N. Gemini Sasson · Post by **N. Gemini Sasson** » Thu October 27th, 2011, 4:04 pm

[quote=""wendy""]
I enjoyed "Shakespeare In Love" - that movie really brought the period to life.

Any one got a particular favorite play? If I HAD to choose one it would be
"Macbeth" -[/quote]

I loved that movie, too, Wendy. My favorite play is Othello.

And isn't it amazing we're still talking about his (or their

) writing so many centuries later?