Stratford versus Oxford – Who penned Shakespeare's Works? DavidDavid E.E. ThomasThomas FriendlyFriendly PhilosophersPhilosophers MayMay 2121st,, 20122012 [email protected]@swcp.com Roots of the Controversy •• Shakespeare'sShakespeare's humblehumble originsorigins saidsaid toto bebe incompatibleincompatible withwith poeticpoetic skill,skill, genius...genius... •• LackedLacked aristocraticaristocratic education...education... • • LackedLacked aristocraticaristocratic sensibilities...sensibilities... • • LackedLacked familiarityfamiliarity withwith RoyalRoyal Court...Court... • • LackLack ofof records...records... partpart ofof aa Conspiracy?Conspiracy? Roland Emmerich Sets the Stage • • RolandRoland EmmerichEmmerich Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), The Patriot (2000), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 2012 (2009), Anonymous (2011) Trailer:Trailer: “10“10 reasons...”reasons...” Some Anti-Stratfordians •• MarkMark TwainTwain •• WaltWalt WhitmanWhitman • • HelenHelen KellerKeller • • SigmundSigmund FreudFreud x • • CharlieCharlie ChaplainChaplain • • OrsonOrson WellesWelles Some Candidates •• WilliamWilliam Stanley,Stanley, 6th6th EarlEarl ofof DerbyDerby •• ChristopherChristopher MarloweMarlowe • • SirSir FrancisFrancis BaconBacon • • EdwardEdward dede Vere,Vere, 17th17th EarlEarl ofof OxfordOxford Oxford (de Vere) •• Oxford'sOxford's authorshipauthorship hingeshinges onon supposedsupposed similaritiessimilarities betweenbetween eventsevents inin Oxford'sOxford's lifelife andand thosethose inin Shakespeare'sShakespeare's plays,plays, sonnetssonnets andand poems;poems; •• ParallelsParallels ofof languagelanguage usageusage andand sentimentssentiments betweenbetween Oxford'sOxford's lettersletters andand Shakespeare'sShakespeare's works;works; • • SeveralSeveral markedmarked passagespassages fromfrom Oxford'sOxford's BibleBible appearappear inin somesome formform inin Shakespeare'sShakespeare's plays;plays; • • TalentedTalented poet,poet, playwright,playwright, knewknew theatretheatre scene,scene, long-termlong-term relationshipsrelationships withwith QueenQueen Elizabeth,Elizabeth, knowledgeknowledge ofof courtcourt lifelife ;; Oxford (de Vere) • • J.J. ThomasThomas Looney'sLooney's ShakespeareShakespeare IdentifiedIdentified (1920)(1920) broughbroughtt EdwardEdward dede Vere,Vere, 17th17th EarlEarl ofof Oxford,Oxford, toto thethe fore.fore. •• 1952,1952, CharltonCharlton andand DorothyDorothy OgburnOgburn publishedpublished thethe 1,300-page1,300-page ThisThis StarStar ofof EnglandEngland,, whichwhich includedincluded thethe PrincePrince TudorTudor theorytheory (Elizabeth(Elizabeth andand OxfordOxford werewere loverslovers andand hadhad conceivedconceived aa child);child); • • OctoberOctober 2011,2011, RolandRoland Emmerich'sEmmerich's filmfilm AnonymousAnonymous isis releasedreleased byby SonySony Pictures:Pictures: thethe filmfilm ""presentspresents aa compellingcompelling portraitportrait ofof EdwardEdward dede VereVere asas thethe truetrue authorauthor ofof Shakespeare'sShakespeare's playsplays";"; Meet the Oxfordians • • MichaelMichael ChiklisChiklis ••SigmundSigmund FreudFreud •• SirSir JohnJohn GielgudGielgud •• JeremyJeremy IronsIrons Meet the Oxfordians • • AntoninAntonin ScaliaScalia • • RolandRoland EmmerichEmmerich Stargate (1994), Independence • • MichaelMichael YorkYork Day (1996), The Patriot (2000), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 2012 (2009), Anonymous (2011) Anonymous (2011) Rhys Ifans as Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford; Vanessa Redgrave as Elizabeth I; Roland Emmerich, Director; Joely Richardson as Young Queen Elizabeth I; David Thewlis as William Cecil. Anonymous (2011) Oh yes, and Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare Meet the Oxfordians 1987,1987, MootMoot CourtCourt DebateDebate withwith justicesjustices Blackmun,Blackmun, Brennan,Brennan, andand Stevens,Stevens, foundfound inin favorfavor ofof Shakespeare.Shakespeare. Stevens:Stevens: “...the“...the OxfordianOxfordian casecase sufferssuffers fromfrom • • JohnJohn PaulPaul StevensStevens notnot havinghaving aa single,single, coherentcoherent theorytheory ofof thethe case.”case.” Meet the Oxfordians 2009,2009, WallWall StreetStreet JournalJournal articlearticle onon Stevens'Stevens' turnaround.turnaround. Stevens:Stevens: “Where“Where areare thethe books?books? YouYou can'tcan't bebe aa scholarscholar ofof thatthat depthdepth andand notnot havehave anyany booksbooks inin youryour home.home. HeHe nevernever hadhad anyany correspondencecorrespondence withwith hishis contemporaries,contemporaries, hehe nevernever waswas shownshown toto bebe presentpresent atat anyany majormajor eventevent –– • • JohnJohn PaulPaul StevensStevens thethe coronationcoronation ofof JamesJames oror anyany ofof thatthat stuff.stuff. II thinkthink thethe evidenceevidence thatthat hehe waswas notnot thethe authorauthor isis beyondbeyond aa reasonablereasonable doubt.”doubt.” Meet the Oxfordians (Cryptographic Clique) • • LeroyLeroy EllenbergerEllenberger •• AlbertAlbert BurgstahlerBurgstahler •• DavidDavid RoperRoper Hidden Messages are Real… Code-Key Cryptography GusGus Simmons,Simmons, SNL,SNL, SpokeSpoke toto NMSRNMSR onon “Zero“Zero KnowledgeKnowledge Proofs”Proofs” (How(How toto proveprove youyou knowknow somethingsomething withoutwithout actuallyactually sayingsaying whatwhat itit is.)is.) Was Shakespeare really the Earl of Oxford? Skeptical Inquirer Nov/Dec '11 Nickell's Conclusions... • “• “TheThe factfact thatthat MarloweMarlowe waswas killedkilled inin aa taverntavern fightfight beforebefore thethe majoritymajority ofof thethe Bard'sBard's playsplays hadhad beenbeen writtenwritten diddid notnot fazefaze thethe Marlovians.”Marlovians.” • • ““TheThe LooniesLoonies adoptedadopted 'Oxford''Oxford' asas theirtheir standardstandard bearerbearer eveneven thoughthough hehe hadhad dieddied beforebefore KingKing Lear,Lear, Macbeth,Macbeth, AntonyAntony andand Cleopatra,Cleopatra, andand severalseveral otherother playsplays werewere performed.”performed.” • • MuchMuch evidenceevidence WSWS waswas thethe author:author: recordsrecords ofof birth,birth, marriage,marriage, baptisms,baptisms, andand more.more. • • ScienceScience mistakesmistakes inin thethe plays:forplays:for exampleexample givinggiving BohemiaBohemia aa seacoast,seacoast, andand notingnoting clocksclocks inin ancientancient Rome.Rome. Bohemia near the Sea... Winter'sWinter's Tale,Tale, ACTACT III,III, SCENESCENE III.III. Bohemia.Bohemia. AA desertdesert countrycountry nearnear thethe sea.sea. EnterEnter ANTIGONUSANTIGONUS withwith aa Child,Child, andand aa MarinerMariner ANTIGONUSANTIGONUS ThouThou artart perfectperfect then,then, ourour shipship hathhath touch'dtouch'd uponupon TheThe desertsdeserts ofof Bohemia?Bohemia? Clocks in Rome... TheThe LifeLife andand DeathDeath ofof JuliusJulius CaesarCaesar ,, ACTACT II,II, SCENESCENE I.I. BRUTUSBRUTUS Peace!Peace! countcount thethe clock.clock. Wiki:Wiki: “The“The wordword clockclock (from(from thethe LatinLatin wordword cloccaclocca,, 'bell'),'bell'), CASSIUSCASSIUS whichwhich graduallygradually supersedessupersedes TheThe clockclock hathhath strickenstricken three.three. 'horologe','horologe', suggestssuggests thatthat itit waswas TREBONIUSTREBONIUS thethe soundsound ofof bellsbells whichwhich alsoalso 'Tis'Tis timetime toto part.part. characterizedcharacterized thethe prototypeprototype mechanicalmechanical clocksclocks thatthat appearedappeared duringduring thethe 13th13th centurycentury inin Europe.”Europe.” Shermer, SciAm, 2009 Conclusions... • • ““YetYet thethe playsplays makemake manymany allusionsallusions toto thethe grammargrammar schoolschool educationeducation thatthat ShakespeareShakespeare hadhad andand notnot toto thethe universityuniversity lifelife heldheld soso deardear byby thethe skeptics;skeptics; insteadinstead ofof CambridgeCambridge mastersmasters andand OxfordOxford dons,dons, ShakespeareShakespeare routinelyroutinely referencesreferences schoolmasters,schoolmasters, schoolboysschoolboys andand schoolbooks.”schoolbooks.” • • Shakespeare'sShakespeare's fatherfather waswas aa middle-classmiddle-class landowner,landowner, estateestate valuedvalued atat ₤500₤500 (₤50(₤50 couldcould purchasepurchase aa modestmodest home),home), socialsocial standingstanding asas highhigh asas Marlowe'sMarlowe's oror BenBen Jonson's;Jonson's; • • HundredsHundreds ofof examplesexamples ofof literaryliterary andand historicalhistorical documentsdocuments bolsterbolster Stratfordians,Stratfordians, seesee bookbook TheThe CaseCase forfor ShakespeareShakespeare (Scott(Scott McCrea,McCrea, PraegerPraeger 2008)2008) NY Times, Oct. 11th, 2011 “Wouldn’t“Wouldn’t ItIt BeBe CoolCool ifif ShakespeareShakespeare Wasn’tWasn’t Shakespeare?”Shakespeare?” byby StephenStephen MarcheMarche ““'Was'Was ShakespeareShakespeare aa fraud?'fraud?' That’sThat’s thethe questionquestion thethe promotionalpromotional machinerymachinery forfor RolandRoland Emmerich’sEmmerich’s newnew film,film, 'Anonymous,''Anonymous,' wantswants toto usherusher outout ofof thethe tinytiny enclosureenclosure ofof fringefringe academicacademic conferencesconferences intointo thethe widerwider pasturespastures ofof aa HollywoodHollywood audience.audience. ...... FirstFirst theythey camecame forfor thethe KennedyKennedy scholars,scholars, andand II diddid notnot speakspeak out,out, becausebecause II waswas notnot aa KennedyKennedy scholar.scholar. ThenThen theythey camecame forfor OpusOpus Dei,Dei, andand II diddid notnot speakspeak out,out, becausebecause II waswas notnot aa CatholicCatholic scholar.scholar.