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Article of the Week – Week Seven
The Mystery of Shakespeare’s Identity
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Directions:
1.Readandannotatethearticlewithaminimumof8markings.
2.Writeasynonymorsimpledefinitionabovetheboldedwordsfoundthroughoutthearticle.
3.Completethecomprehensionquestions.
4.CompletetheTheySay/ISaysectionbyusingthetemplateprovidedonthebackoftheinstructionssheet.
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TheMysteryofShakespeare’sIdentity
ByJ.Farouky
Make at least 8 different notes
from the text in this column.
Annotating is more than just
highlighting or underlining.
Likealienautopsiesandthesecondgunman,thebeliefthatsomeoneotherthanaglover's
sonfromStratfordwroteWilliamShakespeare'splaysisaconspiracytheorythatrefusesto
die.Doubtersstartedquestioningthetrueidentityofthewriterinthelate19thcentury.
Eversincethen,thetheoryofanalternateauthorhasflirtedwiththemainstreamassome
scholarsandresearchershavetriedtogetthebroaderacademiccommunitytotreatthe
questionasalegitimatedebate,insteadoftheramblingsofcrackpots.Now,almost300
Shakespeareskepticshavemadeaverypublicpleatobetakenseriously.
OnSept.10,ShakespearianactorDerekJacobiandMarkRylance,formerartisticdirectorof
Shakespeare'sGlobeTheatre(aworkingmodernreplicaoftheLondontheaterWillcoownedandactedat),unveileda"DeclarationofReasonableDoubt."Createdbythe
California-basedShakespeareAuthorshipCoalition,aneducationalcharitydedicatedto
raisingawarenessoftheShakespeareidentityquestion,thedocumentaskstheworldof
academiatoacceptthatthereis"roomforreasonabledoubtabouttheidentityofWilliam
Shakespeare"andtostarttakingtheresearchintowhoisreallyresponsibleforhisworks
seriously.AlongwithJacobiandRylance,signatoriesincludeCharlesChamplin,theformer
L.A.Timesartseditor;MichaelDelahoyde,anEnglishprofessoratWashingtonState
University;andRobinFox,professorofsocialtheoryatRutgersUniversityinNewJersey.
Somemorefamousnames,likeMarkTwain,CharlesDickensandOrsonWelles,alsolent
theirposthumoussupportinalistofpeoplewhoexpressedtheirowndoubtsaboutthe
Bardwhentheywerealive.
Attheheartoftheproblemisthefactthat,foramanwhowassoprolificwithhispen,
Shakespearedidn'tleavemuchevidenceofhislifebehind.Mostscholarsacceptthatthereis
enoughtoprovethataWilliamShakespearewasborninStratford-upon-Avon,becamean
actorinLondonandretiredbackinStratforduntilhisdeathin1616.Butthat'swherethe
agreementends.Stratfordians,astheyareknown,believethatthisWilliamShakespeareis
thesamemanwhowrotewhatwouldbecomeknownasthegreatestbodyofliteraryworks
inthehistoryoftheEnglishlanguage.TheAnti-Stratfordianssaythatthereis,infact,
nothingsolidlinkingShakespearewiththeplays,poemsandsonnetsattributedtohim.
Andsobeginsthegameoftit-for-tat.StratfordiansnotethatShakespeare'snameisprinted
onthetitlepagesofmanyoftheplayspublishedduringhislifetime.TheAnti-Stratfordians
pointoutthatnobodyevenknowsifthat'showShakespearespelledhisname:theonly
Farouky, Jumana. "The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity." Time. Time Inc., 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
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Name:_____________________________________________________
Period:________
Article of the Week – Week Seven
The Mystery of Shakespeare’s Identity
survivingexamplesofhishandwritingaresixscragglysignaturesspelledseveraldifferent
ways.Thosepro-WillsaythatsomeofShakespeare'scontemporariesmentionhimintheir
writings;thenaysayerscounterthattheyonlyrefertohimasanactor,neverexplicitlyasa
playwright.
Thenthere'stheapparentdisconnectbetweenthelifethatWilliamShakespearelivedandthe
oneshewroteabout.Anti-StratfordiansclaimthatShakespeare'splaysshowakeengraspof
literature,language,courtlifeandforeigntravel—notthekindsofthingsthatasmall-town
actorwithoutauniversityeducationwouldbefamiliarwith.AstheDeclarationsays,"scholars
knownothingabouthowheacquiredthebreadthanddepthofknowledgedisplayedinthe
works."Andsodoubtingscholarslooktowell-traveledwritersandaristocrats—essayist
FrancisBacon;poetandplaywrightChristopherMarlowe;theaterpatronEdwarddeVere,the
17thEarlofOxford—asthemorelikelycandidates.
ButShakespeareadvocatesdismissthisassnobbery,sayingthatevenabasiceducationatthe
timewouldhavebeenenoughforWilltowritehisplays.And,ifyouemphasize—as
Stratfordiansdo—thatmostofShakespeare'splayswereadaptedfromolderworks,whathe
lackedinexperiencehecouldhavemadeupforinimagination."Theproblemisthatargument
presupposesthatplaysfromtheperiodconsistedofthishiddenautobiography,"saysleading
ShakespearescholarJonathanBate."That'samodernimageofthewriterassomeonewho
putshisownexperiencesintohisplays,averyromanticideaofwriting.Butit'sjustnothow
playswerewrittenbackthen."
AsShakespeare(ormaybeBaconorpossiblyDeVere)asked,"What'sinaname?"Thestarcrossedloversstilldie,therewillalwaysbesomethingrotteninthestateofDenmark,no
matterwhowrotetheplays.Sowhyallthefuss?Bothsidesarguethatknowingtheidentityof
themanbehindHamlet,KingLearandTheTempestisessentialtounderstandingthem."Our
interpretationofShakespeare'sworkswouldbeentirelydifferentifweknewwhowrote
them,"saysBillRubinstein,historyprofessorattheUniversityofWales,Aberystwyth,andan
academicadviserfortheShakespeareAuthorshipCoalition."Ifhewasheavilyinvolvedin
politics,forexample,everylineineveryplaywouldhaveadifferentmotivation."
TheCoalition's"DeclarationofReasonableDoubt"doesn'tclaimtoknowwhowrote
Shakespeare'splays,butitasksthatthequestion"should,henceforth,beregardedinacademia
asalegitimateissueforresearchandpublication."HopingtostartthetrendisWilliamLeahy,
headofEnglishatBrunelUniversitywho,laterthismonth,willteachthefirsteverM.A.course
dedicatedtotheauthorshipquestion."Shakespearestudiesalreadylookathisworkfromso
manyangles—feminist,post-colonialist,historical,"hesays."AndIthinkit'simportantthat
theauthorshipquestionisoneofthem."Thiscouldbemuchadoaboutnothing.Ormaybe,one
day,thetruthwillout.
Make at least 8 different notes
from the text in this column.
Annotating is more than just
highlighting or underlining.
Farouky, Jumana. "The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity." Time. Time Inc., 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Name:_____________________________________________________
Period:________
Article of the Week – Week Seven
The Mystery of Shakespeare’s Identity
Comprehension Questions:
1. Which side do you take? After reading the article, do you think that Shakespeare is really who history says he is?
Would it change anything if he wasn’t who we have thought him to be? Use complete sentences and proof or text
evidence to support your claim.
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For the next questions, you will have to complete a little outside research:
2. When was Shakespeare born?___________________ When did he die? _______________________________
3. What is the name of the London theatre that Shakespeare is most commonly associated with?
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4. Which play is generally accepted as Shakespeare’s first?
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5. What play is the quote “What’s in a name?” from?
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They Say / I Say: Using the same sentence format as in previous AOW’s, write a well developed two-paragraph response to
the article on the back of this page.
1.
First Paragraph – summarize what the author has said, and make sure to include text evidence.This
paragraph should be at least five sentences.
2. Second Paragraph – explain your posisition on the article, making sure to include detailed reasons
why you hold that view.
Farouky, Jumana. "The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity." Time. Time Inc., 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Name:_____________________________________________________
Period:________
Article of the Week – Week Seven
The Mystery of Shakespeare’s Identity
Using the template from the They Say / I Say section, write two paragraphs below. You may start your writing with “The
general argument made by…”
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Farouky, Jumana. "The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity." Time. Time Inc., 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.