Was Shakespeare a fraud? Roland Emmerich seems to pose that question in his new film, ANONYMOUS (Sony Pictures) that opens Friday, October 28, 2011.
There seem to be several arguments surrounding this topic, many in Shakespeare's favor. However we have been hardpressed to find anyone who can attest to the fact that Edward de Vere is the true author of the classic plays that we have come to love. Despite there being little evidence, ANONYMOUS is claiming just that.
Was Edward de Vere (or someone else) the true brilliance behind the plays, or is William Shakespeare still due the credit of writing these remarkable works?
What do you think?
I am dumbfounded by how anyone can believe that these magnificent, highly intellectual, supremely poetic and masterful expressions of imagination and language could have been written by someone hanging out in taverns overhearing conversations or some such other eavesdropping ploy rather than thru rigorous study, discipline and practice. I am also dumbfounded by the fact that scholars claim that these passionate and seemingly highly personal works do not contain even one iota of William's personal life (James Shapiro is the champion of that viewpoint). I am also dumbfounded by the highly personal attacks directed at anyone who wishes to engage in the intellectual curiosity surrounding the possibility that William of Stratford was not the actual author of the Shakespeare canon. What are these people afraid of? I've read Shapiro's Contested Will and he didn't seem to offer any evidence for or against William of Stratford or against Edward de Vere. All he did was engage in character assassination of those who dare to question the accepted dogma. Need we peep into every closet of Shakespearean scholars in search of unsavory political stances, dirty sexual secrets, and tainted religious beliefs that we could then claim clouds their judgment to authentically claim the supremacy of William of Stratford as the creator of the greatest works in the English language? Can't we just have a civil debate? Both sides seem to rely on conjecture and lots of circumstantial evidence. Let each lay out the case without name-calling. Let people make up their own minds, let people examine evidence for and against, let people engage in intellectual curiosity. What is the harm? Please tell me what is the harm? What happens if we find that William didn't write the plays? What is the harm?
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