Shakespeare--Who Was He?: The Oxford Challenge to the Bard of Avon / Edition 1

by Richard F. Whalen

Overview

Debate has swirled for years around that most significant of literary problems, the authorship of Shakespeare's works. Now Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, a recognized poet and playwright, has eclipsed Bacon, Marlowe, and all the other candidates for authorship honors. Lengthy and specialized studies have detailed the historico-literary case for Oxford and against the man from Stratford-on-Avon . . . Shakespeare: Who Was He? is the first book to give the general reader a clear, readable, concise analysis of the arguments for both men. Most intriguing are the many direct parallels between Oxford's life and Shakespeare's works, especially in Hamlet, the most autobiographical of the plays. Shakespeare: Who Was He? is a literary mystery of monumental proportions. Whalen's presentation breathes new life into the plays and sonnets through this breakthrough examination of the real-life Hamlet, Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford.

William Shakespeare is the only literary figure whose very identity is a matter of long-standing and continuing dispute. Was he really the glover's son from Stratford-on-Avon? Or was he someone else writing under the pseudonym William Shakespeare? The question has been called the foremost literary problem in world literature and history's biggest literary whodunnit. Interest in it has never been greater, and that interest is growing now that a consensus has formed for Edward de Vere, the seventeenth earl of Oxford, as the leading candidate. Oxford, a recognized poet, playwright, and patron of acting companies, has eclipsed Bacon, Marlowe, and all the other candidates. The Oxfordian challenge is now being covered in scholarly books, in articles in magazines such as The New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly, and on television, including an hour-long PBS FrontLine program. The issue has even been debated in a moot court before three justices of the Supreme Court—with an intriguing outcome.

Whalen's book is the first to provide a clear, concise, readable summary for the general reader, one that analyzes the main arguments for both the man from Stratford-on-Avon and the earl of Oxford. His conclusion? The case for Oxford is much more persuasive. Oxford's life in general and in its particulars is mirrored throughout the works of Shakespeare in many striking ways, particularly in Hamlet, the most autobiographical of the plays. Many who have examined the case for Oxford have had their appreciation of Shakespeare transformed and immensely enriched. This book will be required reading for those who love Shakespeare and want to know more about why the authorship controversy persists. The main narrative, which takes the reader easily through the pros and cons for each man, is supplemented by extensive, entertaining endnotes and appendixes, plus a comprehensive, annotated bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275948504
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/26/1994
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1230L (what's this?)

About the Author

RICHARD F. WHALEN is a writer, lecturer, and President of the Shakespeare Oxford Society. He has received degrees from Fordham College, the Sorbonne, and Yale Graduate School. After military service in France, he was a reporter and editor, principally with the Associated Press in New York, and for many years he was an executive in corporate communications at IBM. He now lives on Cape Cod, where he continues to write on the seventeenth earl of Oxford as the man behind the pseudonym William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Paul H. Nitze
Preface
The Incumbent: The Man from Stratford
A Strikingly Mundane Life
The Missing Literary Evidence
Shakspere versus Shakespeare
The Case for Will Shakspere as Author
The Ambiguous Testimony of the First Folio
The Leading Challenger: The Earl of Oxford
The Search for the True Author
Oxford's Literary Life
The Case for Oxford as Author
Oxford's Life Span and Dating the Plays
Oxford Revealed in Shakespeare's Plays
Objections to Oxford as Shakespeare
Resolving the Authorship Issue
Appendix A: Records of Will Shakspere's Theater Activities
Appendix B: "Shake-scene," Groatsworth, and Chettle
Appendix C: Ben Jonson's Notebook, Timber
Appendix D: The Benezet Test
Notes
Select, Annotated Bibliography for Further Reading
Index

What People are Saying About This

Gary B. Goldstein

"Shakespeare—Who Was He? is that rare book—a splendidly written whodunit that solves a real-life, 400-year mystery . . . a mystery bequeathed to posterity by William Shakespeare himself."

From the Foreword by Ambassador Paul H. Nitze

"In a clear, concise, eminently readable style, Whalen takes the reader on a most entertaining and instructive tour of the great debate. Much has been written on the Shakespeare authorship question, but Whalen's brisk summary of it should lead to a much wider understanding of the surprisingly strong case for Oxford and the shaky foundation under the pedestal of the Bard of Avon."

E.J. Kahn

"I am fascinated by Whalen's plunge into the oft-tossed sea of the Shakespeare controversy. He invites us to accompany him on a stimulating search for answers."

Norrie Epstein

"Sooner or later almost every student of Shakespeare will confront the troubling figure of Oxford. Whalen presents all aspects of this fascinating controversy. Oxfordians will delight in giving this lucid, compact study to their Stratfordian friends. It is ideal for both believers, skeptics and agnostics. It just may help you make up your mind."

Professor Felicia Londre

"Terrific . . . readable, friendly, clear, balanced, honest, a scholarly presentation of evidence in a format accessible to anyone."

David A. Richardson

"Whalen is forthright about his Oxfordian position, but his lucid, even-handed methodology challenges students to think through the authorship issue and evidence from many angles. The result in class is penetrating questions, critical thinking, and vigorous discussion. Students get hyped using this book to research and argue the authorship problem."

Editorial Reviews

This great literary mystery will simply not go away: Were the plays and poems attributed to Will Shakspear, the glover's son from Stratford-upon-Avon, really written by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford? The general reader is well served by Whalen's presentation of both sides of the argument. The annotated bibliography, which is the only one of its kind available, is extremely useful for readers who wish to pursue further research.” —Library Jourbanal

“Whalen's main asset is his plain compare-and-contrast briefing ability: all the issues of evidence and inference are clearly stated. Whalen fairly notes the vulnerabilities in Oxford-as-author, such as the dating difficulty: several of the plays were published after the earl's death in 1604. A piece by noted cold warrior Paul Nitze prefaces this esay introduction to the case.” —Booklist/Adult Nonfiction

“Whalen examines the great debate over Shakespeare's identity by offering convincing evidence that Edward de Vere, the seventeenth East of Oxford, was actually the author of Shakespeare's works. A lucid discussion, suggested for English literature students.” —Booklist/Adult Books for Young Adults

From the Publisher