mbe ~bake5peare <!&xforb Newsletter A Publication of the Shakespeare Oxford Society "Dedicated to Researching and Honoring the True Bard" Vol. 43: No.2 "Too hal! Too HOI! " The Will/er 's Tale 1.2.108 Spring 2007 GREETINGS Cocordia Summary We have an interesting and informative by Richard Smiley and Richard Joyrich newsletter. Of interest is a report on the Concordia Conference as well as a notice of the upcomingjoint SOS/SF Conference The II (h Annual Shakespeare Authorship by being mentioned in the last line of the in Carmel. Just when you thought it was Conference was held April 12-15 atConcor­ play. Mr. Haste postulates that since there is safe to read the sonnets again, an article dia University in Portland, Oregon. There more than one ring, de Vere can indulge in and a letter concern this important subject. was a wide variety of topics, all presented the pun on his name "vere" in the passage You will continue to learn and strengthen by speakers with impressive academic and described above. The ending of each line your Oxford resol ve as you further read of scholarly backgrounds. with "Ring" or "Vere" recalls the famous the tremendous research being done and The first presentation on Thursday was "Echo Poem" written earlier by de Vere. documents being uncovered. This newslet­ by William Michael Anthony Cecil, 8th The third presentation was via a DVD ter offers reports on events, observations, Marquis of Exeter and 18th Baron Burghley. of the presenter who sent it in when she letters, and, of course, the articles. Please He is a direct descendent of William Cecil, realized she couldn't attend in person. It continue to send any of these communi­ the 1st Baron Burghley, Edward de Vere's was by Claire Van Kampen, former music cations. father-in-law and the model for Polonius in director at the Globe Theater in London Lew Tate, ed. Hamlet. The presentation described William (under Mark Rylance). Her presentation tate32 I I @bellsouth.net Cecil's famous precepts he wrote out for tried to show that Bacon was the leader his sons and how they closely mirror the of a group of writers (including Edward precepts given by Polonius in Hamlet to de Vere) who collaborated to produce the his son Laertes. The Cecil precepts were "Shakespeare" plays. eventually published but well afterthe writ­ William Jansen then presented research ing of Hamlet. Therefore, the author needed conducted by Dr. Eric Altschuler and him­ to hear them "first hand" (for example, at self that tended to show that the plays must Cecil House where Edward de Vere had have been originally written for private been living). performances in halls, rather than in a public The second presentation, by Ian Haste, theater, based on how Shakespeare would described Mr. Haste's research into the often have a major character say a line im­ amazing passage in Act 5 of Merchant of mediately after the stage direction for the Venice, where 9 out of 10 consecutive lines character to enter or have other characters all end with the word "Ring" (capitalized in act like someone has left immediately after • IN SIDE· the First Folio). It turns out that the Italian a stage direction for an exit. The idea is that The Roscius Annotation Revisited 2 word "vera," although more typically used this only works in a small venue with side to denote a ring-like enclosure, was used to entrances and exits so that a major character "Leass for Making" refer to a wedding ring in the Italian dialect can quickly enter and get to the front of Shakespeare Outed as a Liar? 3 used in Venice at the time de Vere was liv­ the stage or quickly exit and that in a large Shakespeare Authorship Coalition 6 ing there. This means that the plural form theater like the Globe with only an entrance of the word "vere" could be used to mean at the back, the major character wouldn't Searching Under the Lamp-posts for more than one wedding ring. Mr. Haste make it on time. Dating Shakespeare's Son1lets 14 pointed out that the original Italian source Friday began with William Farinagiving Letters to the Editor 21 for Merchant of Venice only had one mar­ a nice talk on how Shakespeare shows amaz­ ried couple and one ring, but Shakespeare ing knowledge of Venice in the Merchant From the Archives had added the characters of Gratiano and of Venice, and he wondered whether it was Tarlton and Shakespeare 23 Nerissa, thereby making the play refer to more likely that William of Stratford picked Gordon Cyr 24 two rings. This extra ring receives emphasis (CaliI'd all p. 7) page 2 Spring 2007 Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Shakespeare Oxford The Roscius Annotation Revisited: Newsletter Published quarterly by the Epicurean Discovery Shakespeare Oxford Society or Ambiguous Tidbit? P.O. Box 808 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Paul H. Altrocchi, M.D. and Alan H. Nelson, Ph.D Tel: (914) 962-1717 Fax: (914) 254-9713 Email: [email protected] Be not swept offyourjeet by the Fere Iibentur homines id quod ISSN 1525-6863 vividness volunt credunt. www.shakespeare-oxford.com oj the impression, but say to "Men readily believe what they yourself, Editors: want to believe." (3) Lew Tate "Impression, wait jor me a little. Let me How have further research, reflection, and Editorial Board: see what you are and what you the mellowing effect of four years of time Dr. Frank Davis represent. Ramon Jimenez clarified the legitimacy of these differing Let me savor you. " Brian Bechtold interpretations of the same six word Roscius - Epictetus, 1st Century AD (1) Dr. James Brooks annotation? Joe Peel James Sherwood Dr. Richard Smiley Oxfordians also were exuberant, concluding that the Layout and Printing annotation obviously implied that William Shaksper was only St. Martin de POlTes Lay Dominicans New Hope, Kentucky an actor from Stratford, thereby destroying the case for his All contents copyright © 2007 Shakespeare Oxford Society being the great playwright. The Newsletter welcomes research articles, book reviews, letters and news items. Contributions should be reasonably concise and, when appro- When the first Roscius annotation paper priate, validated by peer review. Assignment of was published in 2003 in The annotation copyright is required for publication. The views Shakespeare Mat­ of contributors do not necessarily refiect those of ters (2), a plethora of internet exchanges To recapitulate the problem, William the Shakespeare Oxford Society as a literary and circled cyberspace. The excitement of Strat­ Camden's Britannia, first published in 1586, educational organization. fordians was palpable, with exultation that details the environmental and historical the discovery should finally end Oxfordian features of cities and towns in England, skepticism that Shaksper of Stratford was including what made each place noteworthy. an actor. Later they claimed that "Roscius" In the third edition of 1590 he describes actually referred to his stardom as a play­ Stratford-on-Avon as follows, translated Board of Trustees wright, establishing once and for all that he from Camden's Latin (4): was truly William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Oxford Society Oxfordians also were exuberant, con­ "From here the River Avon flows Lifetime HOllorary Tl'IIstees cluding that the annotation obviously down more strongly, first through Dr. Gordon eyr and Charles Boyle Charleott .. and thence through the implied that William Shaksper was only an 2007 not undistinguished little market actor from Stratford, thereby destroying the President: Matthew Cossolotto town of Stratford which owes all First Vice President: John Hamill case for his being the great playwright. One of its reputation to two of its foster eminent Oxfordian stated on the internet: Treasurer: Virginia Hyde sons, John of Stratford, the Arch­ "It's a tremendous breakthrough, and in bishopofCanterbury who built the James Sherwood my view virtually destroys the Stratford­ Dr. Frank Davis church, and Hugh Clopton, Lord Michael Pisapia ian case." MayorofLondon who, not without Randall Sherman Thus each side of the Shakespeare au­ very great expense, built the stone Dr. Richard Smiley thorship debate claimed that the six-word bridge overthe Avon supported by Elliot Stone handwritten Roscius annotation was an fourteen arches." Brian Bechtold important research finding confirming their Dr. Richard Joyrich At the bottom of that page in the Hunting­ own authorship theory. These diametrically ton Library copy in San Marino, California, opposite conclusions validate what Julius Caesar said 2000 years ago: (Roscills cantil/lied 01/ page 9) Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter Spring 2007 page 3 "Leass for Making" Shakespeare Outed as a Liar? By Dr. Frank Davis While recently working on another project, looking up informa­ tion regarding the 1623 First Folio, I discovered the web site (I) concerning Glasgow University's lone copy of the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare's works. Their copy is described as a "class II B", meaning it is in "fair" condition. What is important about this copy is that it has many annotations, and although the original owner is unknown, what is known is that the original annotator was a con­ temporary of the time of the First Folio. This first annotator is the one who has generated my interest in making this report, although there were multiple later annotators during the course of ownership of this particular copy; but these are of little importance here. The annotations in question occur on the page listing the names Fig , 2 of the principal actors. (Fig. 1) Underneath many (10 out of the 26) this annotation under William Shakespeare's name "an intriguing of the names of the actors (including the first, William Shakespeare) comment." The annotation is : are comments such as: "know", "by eyewitness", "by report", "Ieass for making" etc.