Actors Ask: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare

Here we go again--another round of "Shakespeare couldn't have written Shakespeare." This time, Sir Derek Jacobi and other actors are launching their attack on the Bard.

One thing I found a bit infuriating: Jacobi and his cohorts are making class judgments by saying the Shakespeare didn't come from the right kind of family in order to write what he did. In addition, they're trying to impose a 2lst Century idea of copyright, accounting, and ownership on a system that did not operate that way.

There's no record of what kind of gifts, vs. modern-day pay, Shakespeare could have gotten from Queen Elizabeth, other royals, or other wealthy patrons. They're also overlooking the fact that many of the plays are based on older legends, stories, histories or earlier plays, so a souind base was there for the more "modern" writer: Shakespeare.

It seems that the idea that Shakespeare could have been, well, Shakespeare, coming from a not-so-lofty background, is a point of debate for many.

Actors including Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance have launched a debate over who really wrote the works of William Shakespeare.

Almost 300 people have signed a "declaration of reasonable doubt", which they hope will prompt further research into the issue.

"I subscribe to the group theory. I don't think anybody could do it on their own," Sir Derek said.

The group says there are no records of Shakespeare being paid for his work.

While documents do exist for Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, all are non-literary.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

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Tags: Derek Jacobi | Literature | Mystery | Shakespeare | Stratford-on-Avon