I am currently reading ‘Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom’ by Charles Beauclerk; a book I’ve had in my collection for a while but have recently been prompted to read. Every page is delectable, engaging and essential reading for all Shakespeare enthusiasts.
Author and regular contributor to the Theatrabilia social media pages, Евгений Парамонов-Эфрус, has re-ignited my interest in the infamous ‘authorship’ question.
Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays?
It’s a convoluted debate lasting centuries, dividing scholars, actors and other theatre-makers.
I am a Stratfordian myself, but even the most ardent of believers can appreciate a certain level of romanticism in our outlook towards the Bard himself. The evidence in support of the Stratford man is notoriously sparse, yet the enormous research across the decades draws us in and makes for a convincing argument on both sides of the party. Some say it doesn’t matter who the ‘real’ writer was; in the words of Hamlet, “the play’s the thing”.
I can appreciate this stance and have often felt compelled to share this opinion. But, as Beauclerk says, “If you get Shakespeare wrong, you get the Elizabethan age wrong - its literature, its culture, its politics...
Even more to the point, if you get Shakespeare wrong, you get his plays wrong and so miss some of the richest layers of humour, pathos, and meaning...”
I have found that to research Shakespeare from all angles is fascinating no matter which side of the argument you’re on. It can only enrich our view of the man himself - whoever he was - and the times he lived in.
This book is 400 pages long, so I won’t be able to finish it soon. Only a couple of chapters in, however, and I’m gripped. It shall inform my current Shakespeare studies, which also includes the reading of 'Will in the World' by Stephen Greenblatt.
Greenblatt's book forms a closer look at the Stratfordian view of Shakespeare; piecing his life together through the themes of his plays. Interestingly, this book is exactly the same length as Beauclerk's: 430 pages. It seems there is an equal amount to say from both sides of the argument!
Stay tuned for more discussion on the authorship question and my thoughts on these two publications.
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