The Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Volume 46: No. 1 “Shakespeare led a life of allegory: his works are the comments on it.” – John Keats May 2010 Shakespeare and Much Ado About Authorship in Media “The King of Hungary’s he Shakespeare Authorship Question incisive review of Shapiro’s book in the ‘Peace’” Thas reached a new level of legitimacy April 2010 edition of The Brooklyn Rail: upon the fresh release of a book devoted Critical Perspectives on Arts, Politics An Earlier Source for an Allusion in to the topic by English professor James and Culture. The reviewer is William S. Measure for Measure Shapiro, Contested Will: Who Wrote Niederkorn, a well-known commentator By Connie Beane Shakespeare? The major media has on the authorship question, and one of embraced the book, and the controversy, the most perceptive observers of its LUCIO by featuring interviews with Shapiro and growing importance. Niederkorn’s 5,000- If the Duke, with the other Dukes, come reviews of his book online, and in English word essay, “Absolute Will,” reveals the not to composition with the King of and American newspapers. Academics inconsistencies, circular reasoning, and Hungary, why then all the dukes fall upon the King. have long ignored, dismissed, and even ridicule of anti-Stratfordian scholars ridiculed those who doubted the Stratford that permeate Shapiro’s book, which has FIRST GENTLEMAN Man as Shakespeare, but the public’s just been published by Simon & Shuster. Heaven grant us its peace, but not the King fascination with the controversy has put Niederkorn describes Alan Nelson’s of Hungary’s. them on the defensive. Shapiro, in his Monstrous Adversary as “one of the recent interview with The Wall Street most bilious biographies ever written,” – Measure for Measure (1.2.1-5) Journal (April 2, 2010), admitted his fears “riddled with errors . and an embar- about this surging public attention. He rassment to scholarship.” In recounting This minor bit of dialogue early in the first stated that Roland Emmerich’s upcom- the recent history of the authorship act of Measure for Measure has puzzled ing film portraying the Earl of Oxford question, Niederkorn also remarks that commentators for years. Scholars such as as Shakespeare, “will be a disaster for The Oxfordian, “the best American J.W. Lever gloss it as a topical reference: those of us who teach Shakespeare.” Yet academic journal covering the authorship “‘the King of Hungary’s peace’ quibbles he also stated that Shakespeare was a question, publishes papers by Stratford- on ‘hungry peace’, a topical pun when “court observer” due to his having “per- ians. By contrast, there is no tolerance English volunteers in Hungary were formed at court over 100 times probably for anti-Stratfordian scholarship at the serving against the Turks. Down-at-heels in the course of his career …” Although conferences and journals Stratfordians ex-soldiers were sometimes nicknamed Oxfordians would agree with the former control.” Niederkorn’s piece was chosen ‘Hungarians’. Cf. Wiv., 1. iii. 21” (Lever statement, the latter about the Stratford as the book review of the week by the 9). Arthur Quiller-Couch and John Dover Man is a fantastic piece of guesswork. National Book Critics Circle. Wilson, in their edition of Measure, In his interview, Shapiro also revealed Perhaps the most notorious Shakes- connected the reference to a post-1604 the new defense strategy that academics peare-related book of the last decade, revision of the play: are being forced to adopt: the sonnets of Contested Will has already been reviewed Shakespeare, written in the first person, in Publishers Weekly and The Chronicle There is no mention of this King of Hungary are not autobiographical, nor are there of Higher Education, The Los Angeles elsewhere in the play, nor is there anything autobiographical sources or references Times, salon.com, The Economist, The in the plot to throw light on the passage anywhere in the Shakespeare canon. Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The London quoted. Only one thing is clear – that the He stated that “either you believe he’s Review of Books, The Guardian and The King of Hungary’s “peace” was something highly undesirable ... (Quiller-Couch, recycling bits and pieces of his life, or Independent and others. The book was also Wilson 104) you believe that he imagined them, and reviewed on the SOS’s website (SOS Online, I like to think that he had the greatest Archives, Dec. 2009). Oxfordian scholars Quiller-Couch and Wilson then proceed imagination of any writer in the language. Richard Whalen and Tom Hunter provide to link the reference to a peace treaty And I don’t want that belittled.” additional reviews in this issue on pp. 7 and Oxfordian scholars and enthusiasts, 12. It appears that the Anti-Anti-Stratfordian (cont’d on p. 14) as well as other anti-Stratfordians, were movement is “at last gasp,” to quote Oxford’s also heartened by a clear-sighted and phrase in Cymbeline (1.5.53). page 2 May 2010 Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Peter Moore’s Research in New Edition Published quarterly by the Shakespeare Oxford Society erman publisher Verlag Laugwitz has to German audiences. “Peter’s method is P.O. Box 808 Gjust issued The Lame Storyteller, Poor like Lessing’s: disassembling the false Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 and Despised, the collected Shakespeare constructions of established authorities and ISSN 1525-6863 papers of literary historian and Oxfordian trying to gain new ideas from his critical Peter Moore (1949-2007). This collec- work by merging objective historical EDITORS: tion contains nearly thirty articles that analysis with a keen literary sensibility,” Katherine Chiljan appeared in peer-reviewed journals in added Dr. Laugwitz. Ramon Jiménez the U.S., England, Holland and France Editor Gary Goldstein described the PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE: from 1993 to 2006. The volume was new Moore publication. “The first half of Matthew Cossolotto, Chair edited by Gary Goldstein and Dr. Uwe the book focuses on the Sonnets, Hamlet, Brian Bechtold Laugwitz. Moore’s research covers the King Lear, Macbeth and Othello; the second James Boyd following topics: half investigates the chronology of the plays Katherine Chiljan and the controversial authorship issue of the Frank Davis • The Shakespeare plays were written from Shakespeare canon, with Moore deconstruct- John Hamill, ex officio 1585 to 1604 and not 1590 to 1613, as Ramon Jiménez commonly supposed ing the traditional case of Shakespeare from Richard Joyrich • The Rival Poet of the Sonnets was the Stratford, then laying out new evidence that James Sherwood Earl of Essex and the Fair Youth was the Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote Richard Smiley, SOS Webmaster Earl of Southampton the plays.” “What makes Peter Moore’s • Shakespeare’s share of Two Noble Kinsmen work of lasting value to scholars, theater Tel: (914) 962-1717 was written the last year of Elizabeth’s life professionals and the general public,” Fax: (914) 245-9713 – and ended with her death said Goldstein, “is his ability to delineate Email: [email protected] • The dramatist attacked in Ben Jonson’s www.shakespeare-oxford.com Shakespeare’s original intent in his most “On Poet Ape” was Thomas Dekker and important works.” A lieutenant colonel in shakespeareoxfordsociety.wordpress. not Shakespeare the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, com • Shakespeare used the Bible’s two-witness All contents copyright © 2010 rule involving murder in designing Hamlet’s Moore became a legislative aide to U.S. Shakespeare Oxford Society. inner dynamic Senator John East from North Carolina, The Newsletter welcomes research articles, • Shakespeare adapted the Earl of Surrey’s an official in the Georgia State Department book reviews, letters and news items. Psalm 8 as well as Piers Plowman in writing of Education, and a director at a national Contributions should be reasonably Hamlet’s soliloquies non-profit organization dedicated to dealing concise and, when appropriate, validated • Shakespeare set Christian and pagan with troubled youth. by peer review. Assignment of copyright philosophies against each other in King Dr. Uwe Laugwitz publishes books is required for publication. The views of Lear and mediated the debate through the focusing on Shakespeare and the Eliza- contributors do not necessarily reflect those concept of nature bethan period. Since 1997, Laugwitz has of the Shakespeare Oxford Society as a • Shakespeare used ancient and modern co-published with Robert Detobel the literary and educational organization. notions of time and Epicureanism in annual, Neues Shake-speare Journal, in devising Macbeth’s structure Layout and Printing by St. Martin de both German and English. Gary Goldstein Porres Lay Dominicans, “Peter became one of the most brilliant was former editor and publisher of The New Hope, Kentucky scholars of the Elizabethan period late Elizabethan Review, a peer-reviewed in life,” noted Dr. Laugwitz. “He was history journal and currently is the BOARD OF TRUSTEES not an academic – he did not receive a managing editor of Brief Chronicles: The John Hamill, President doctorate, nor did he teach Shakespeare. Inter-Disciplinary Journal of the Shakes- Richard Joyrich, 1st VP What is special about his insights into peare Fellowship (www. briefchronicles. Matthew Cossolotto, 2nd VP Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Age is com). The Lame Storyteller is available Virginia Hyde, Secretary that they derive from a most intriguing throughout North America for $25 Susan Grimes Width, Treasurer background – military officer, legislative through at www.elizabethanreview.com Brian Bechtold aide, and education official, with degrees or by email: garygoldstein1@bellsouth. James Boyd in engineering and economics (Univ. of net); it is also available from the SOS for Joan Leon Maryland). I would compare his contribu- $25 plus $4.95 shipping (P.O. Box 808, Michael Pisapia tions in the field of Shakespeare studies to Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, 914-962- James Sherwood that of Lessing’s.” Dr.