Neil Gaiman wrote a graphic fantasy about Shakespeare. Some of its dialogue is disguised verse. See Iambic Pentameter.
Ben Jonson wrote a poem which hints that Shakspere of Stratford did not write the Shakespeare plays. See here.
If these hints are sound, then not only has fiction been based on history but also some accepted history is an elaboate fiction.
And it cannot possibly get any stranger than that.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I doubt the controversy over the authorship of the plays and poems attributed to the Shakespeare of Stratford will ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. To say nothing of other issues such as whether or not Shakespeare was a secret Catholic (the plays do seem to have hints of pro-Catholic sympathies in them).
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
"To everyone's satisfaction" is a tougher criterion than "beyond reasonable doubt." It is easier to argue that Shakspere of Stratford was not Shakespeare of the plays than to identify Shakespeare. However, research continues and is bringing in results.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
The criterion "beyond a reasonable doubt" is also pretty high and tough to meet!
I certainly won't mind if further research and/or discoveries finally settles the matter of who wrote these plays/poems, either Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon or the Earl of Oxford!
At least we have no such doubts about the masterpiece that other poet, Dante, wrote. No one has ever seriously doubted Dante's authorship of THE DIVINE COMEDY. We know who wrote the COMEDY from both the poem itself and sources like Boccaccio's biography of Dante.
Sean
I've never seen any reason but snobbery to doubt that Shakespeare of Stratford was the author. No, no, it couldn't be a provincial commoner who was a great genius, it has to be an aristocrat...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I'm not quite so sure mere snobbery alone lies behind this issue. I've read just enough about the arguments over the authorship of these plays and poems to think there is SOME legitimate reason to doubt that the Shakespeare of Stratford wrote them.
Ad astra! Sean
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