William Shakespeare's Stunt Double Revealed?

Now here's an interesting article. A judge (let's call him Justice John Paul Stevens) claims William Shakespeare's plays were written by one Edward de Vere. Not more is explained about who de Vere was. '

His position is part of the Oxfordian Theory.

"Nonetheless, since the 19th century, some have argued that only a nobleman could have produced writings so replete with intimate depictions of courtly life and exotic settings far beyond England. Dabbling in entertainments was considered undignified, the theory goes, so the author laundered his works through Shakespeare, a member of the Globe Theater's acting troupe."

History: you can't live with it or without it.

Needless to say, this will be one battle among the main players. I spotted this interesting comment:


Interesting to hear that Justice Stevens has become intrigued by the authorship question, but it's too bad that Mr. Bravin characterized the issue as equivalent to the Flat Earth Society, or didn't speak to anyone more knowledgeable about current research and opinions. Far from being the case that "nobody gives any credence to these arguments," there are many reputable theatre professionals and scholars who do, including Mark Rylance (original artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London), the esteemed Shakespeare actor Derek Jacobi, and Kristin Linklater, the internationally known text and voice coach long associate with the Royal Shakspeare Company.

When I first heard about the Oxford theory I scoffed, but after almost 25 years of reading on the subject, and from my professional work with the plays as director, actor, and producer, I certainly lean strongly toward an Oxfordian point of view, both because of themes, language, and subjects in the plays and because of specific circumstances in the life of Edward de Vere and the Stratfordian.

It's a misunderstanding to say that belief in the Oxford theory is based on the premise that only an aristocrat could have written the plays and a common man could not, or to deny genius. It's not a matter of genius, but of education and exposure. Genius will get you a long way, but the plays show specific and deep understanding of disciplines and areas of learning - law, seamanship, falconry, geography and culture of Italy, among others - that a relatively uneducated player/playwright would be unlikely to have gained.

My first reading on the subject was Charlton Ogburn's meticulously detailed 600-page "The Mysterious William Shakespeare", but there have been many other books written on the subject since. Whether the evidence convince someone or not, they deserve more than being brushed off as ridiculous.

Gillian Bagwell
Founder and Artistic Director
Pasadena Shakespeare Company