News flash! The man we know as William Shakespeare, the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon, may be an imposter! Well, maybe this isn't exactly a news flash...after all the debate over the real identity of the person or persons who wrote Hamlet, Macbeth, and all those lovely sonnets has actually been raging since the 1780's. A recent series of reports on NPR piqued my curiosity about this controversy and has led me to do some exploration on my own.One likely candidate for being the true author of Shakespeare's many works is Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (pictured above). He was a contemporary of Shakespeare who received a classical education and was admitted to the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I in 1560. de Vere led a checkered life being accused of murdering a servant at age 17, fathering an illegitimate child while married to another woman, being involved in both political and religious intrigue, and embarking on a homosexual affair. He was also well-known throughout his lifetime as an accomplished poet, playwright, and actor forming two acting companies that gave performances throughout England. Busy man!
There are certainly other candidates for being the 'real' William Shakespeare. Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe are two spoken of frequently. Some postulate that Shakespeare was actually a group of writers all contributing to parts of Shakespeare's legacy. To me, though, the most fascinating of all the Shakespeare 'wannabes' is Mary Sidney, nee
Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. I guess it's because she's a woman that I find her so interesting. Why is it that women of intellect and genius never seem to be taken very seriously? In this instance, Mary's genius was covered up by her son, William Herbert, for reasons known only to him. Both his life and his mother's, however, were embroiled in illicit love affairs, illegitimate children, and behavior unbecoming of royalty. Maybe his deceptions had more to do with protecting himself than with hiding Mary's talents?
Love that red hair!
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