Tomb search could end riddle of Shakespeare's true identity [Fulke Greville]

Telegraph ^ | Sunday, August 9th, 2009 | David Harrison

[SunkenCiv]

Parishioners at St Mary's church in Warwick have sought permission to examine the contents of the 17th century monument built by Fulke Greville, a writer and contemporary of Shakespeare who some believe is the true author of several of the Bard's works... the search has been prompted by the discovery by an historian of clues in Greville's writings which suggest he had several manuscripts buried there, including a copy of Antony and Cleopatra. A radar scan of the sarcophagus has already indicated the presence inside of three "box like" shapes. The searchers believe these could contain documents and a further examination is now being proposed which they hope will finally prove the link between Greville and Shakespeare. The initial search, using ground penetrating radar, was approved by the parochial church council and the diocesan council. The team now wants to use an endoscope -- a tiny video camera on a long thin tube -- to be inserted into the monument to test his claims... The parochial council also wants the sarcophagus to be opened because it believes that any new evidence will bring extra visitors and save the church, the foundations of which date back 900 years, from bankruptcy... However, the diocesan advisory committee and the Church Buildings Council are resisting the new search, on "ethical grounds" and a final decision could now be taken by the diocese's consistory court. The search has been prompted by the work of the historian AWL Saunders. He believes there are several clues suggesting Greville, who is a distant ancestor, is responsible for writing a number of Shakespeare's works.

[SunkenCiv]

The idea that Oxford authored the plays (despite having died in 1604) didn’t originate in a book in the 1980s, it’s at least as old as 1920:

“Shakespeare” Identified
In Edward De Vere the Seventeenth
Earl of Oxford
by J. Thomas Looney
http://www.shakespearefellowship.org/etexts/si/00.htm

[SunkenCiv]

why do so many believe in contemporary conspiracy theories

I think that's a vital aspect of the conspiracy itself... ;')

[SunkenCiv]

She died in 1603, Shakespeare continued to write until 1613. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Heh... or the last.

[SunkenCiv]

Not so loud, he’ll hear you and show up.

[SunkenCiv]

To really come full circle, the boxes should contain the private papers of William Shakespeare. ;’) The real ones burned up in a house fire a generation or so after he died. Mighty convenient if ya ask me. ;’) ;’) ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[SunkenCiv]

When Shakespeare was still a kid, a local woman — Katherine Hamlet — slipped and fell into the Avon and drowned (she had buckets apparently to fetch water for her household). His father was a little on the shady side of the law and got hauled into court a couple of times (at least) regarding illegal wool dealing; as a result of one of these court cases the family took a financial hit, and Will never finished up his education by going to university.

That was a break for everyone who has ever enjoyed his plays and sonnets.

The socialist Samuel Clemens claimed in print that William Shakespeare couldn’t even sign his name, iow, that he was illiterate, which was an ignorant lie. Most of the candidates put forth as the “real” author of Shakespeare’s works, including Oxford and Marlowe, but not Bacon, died well before Shakespeare finished his writing career.

[KamperKen]

"The idea that Oxford authored the plays (despite having died in 1604) didn’t originate in a book in the 1980s, it’s at least as old as 1920

I believe Horace Walpole ("Castle of Otranto" author) in the late 18th century also theorized that Edward de Vere was the real author.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks.

[Blind Eye Jones]

That is a minor detail. In fact, most of the plays had been written during her fall out with Mary and Essex as she was extremely passionate in her interests of Love and Death at the time (actually mostly death). She anticipated James IV becoming king and wrote Macbeth during the same period. The idea of comedy – a play ending in marriage rather than death -- did not appeal too strongly to her lachrymose sensibilities and, strangely, she never married. One lover did appeal over a prolonged period of time and that was the infamous Black Adder.

[twigs]

I’m old fashioned. I believe that William Shakespeare wrote Shakepeare’s works.

[twigs]

A woman published an article/book about 150 years ago that got some of this started. I noticed when I read of it that either her surname was Bacon or she was a descendant of his. So guess who she thought wrote Shakespeare? This stuff is nuts. However, it WAS an interesting period with a lot of intrigue. But I personally don’t think there’s any reasonable doubt who wrote Shakespeare. Much of what I’ve read is just plain, old-fashioned elitism. Surely someone who was educated in secondary schools back then and didn’t go to university couldn’t have written like THAT. He MUST have been well educated.

[KamperKen]

"This stuff is nuts."

This 'stuff' is actually historically very intriguing and and quite reasonably has spawned many questions and much speculation over the centuries as to who was the true author. The doubters of the conventional wisdom form quite a literary honor role.

I recommend you read "Shakespeare by Another Name" by Mark Anderson and see if it causes you to reconsider your point of view. This is one of the more recent of a fair number of books on the subject and the overall argument based on known facts is a compelling one that Edward de Vere was the true (or main) author.

If you have the time and inclination to read it, share your thoughts with me after.

[twigs]

I have not read this book, but I did spend some time a few years back looking into the question because, like you, I found it interesting. I just didn’t find anything to cause me to think Shakespeare did not write his own material. It has seemed to me from the beginning of my search that the reason behind this speculation is sheer elitism. If I currently had the time, I would read this book, but alas, I don’t. Maybe some day I will. I like this time period.

[advertising guy]

because of what “Shakespeare “wrote......the real writer knew guvermint stuff and elite stuff and it was considered blasphemus to write of those things then..

Additionally a man named Shakespeare could not even spell the last name the same 4 times in a row

[bannie]

Maybe Will will be washed out of his tomb by the Avon. :-)

[SunkenCiv]

Nope, those plays were written by some nefarious intellectual giant from the upper class! He (or she!) merely included lots of Warwickshire references and euphemisms to throw everyone off the trail! ;’)

Thanks twigs!

[AdmSmith]

Shakespeare First Folio (this is etext, but scanned with OCR then hand corrected)

Many thanks. The text is not easy to read, but this is more difficult http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/8bwlf10h.htm