Reading Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century The Shakespeare Conspiracy

Question 1 Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources.

The question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Synthesis refers to combining the sources and your position to form a cohesive, supported argument and accurately citing sources. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Avoid merely summarizing sources.

Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.

Introduction It wasn’t until 1785, 170 years after Shakespeare’s death, that the theory arose claiming that the man from Stratford-upon-Avon had not written the plays attributed to him. The Reverend James Wilmot suggested that was the true author, and James Cowell presented the idea at a philosophical society. The debate lay dormant until 1848, when a New York lawyer, Colonel Joseph C. Hart, mentioned it in passing in The Romance of Yachting. But it wasn’t until (1811 to 1859), an American, wrote an article, “Shakespeare and His Plays: An Inquiry Concerning Them” and a 672- page book, The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded, that the real conspiracy theories began. Bacon (no relation to Sir Francis, although in her latter years she claimed she was) presented an enormously incoherent and confused presentation of her beliefs, that it was Bacon and other Elizabethan poets who wrote the plays. She believed that she was doing God’s work in revealing the true authors of Shakespeare’s works. Shortly after the publication of her book, she was committed to a mental institution (LoMonico 26-27).

Assignment Conspiracy theories retain a strong hold on the popular imagination. Write a carefully reasoned essay in which you develop a position on the theory of the authorship of ’s plays. Synthesize at least three of the sources to support your position.

You may refer to the sources by their titles (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the descriptions in parentheses.

Source A (Definitions) Source B (Film Poster) Source C (Film Trailer) Source D (LoMonico) Source E (McDonald) Source F (Marche)