Shakespeare: GAY?
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Sinclair Sinclair
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- Joined: Fri Jan 01, 1999 4:00 pm
- Location: Lennoxville, Poutine Country
I just loooooooove flamin' topics.<P>------------------
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1) Did Shakespeare exist? <P>Unquestionably. Not only are there baptismal records, land lease records, a marriage licence, birth records for his children, a record of his death and a known burial site, but there are also scores of references to a living, breathing human being named William Shakespeare in various letters and other writings by his contemporaries.<P>
2) Did Shakespeare write his own works?<P>The most damning evidence that he *didn't* write his own works is the fact that there are absolutely no copies of any Shakespeare plays that were written in his own hand. In fact, the folio editions of Shakespeare that we study today were assembled shortly after Shakespeare's death by colleagues who were working from sometimes incomplete (and possibly re-written) publishers' manuscripts, and in some cases, from the memories of the actors who performed in the original shows! Because Shakespeare's originals no longer exist, no-one will ever be able to offer *absolute* proof that Shakespeare actually wrote his plays, so there's always room for doubt...<P>However, the most persuasive argument in *favour* of Shakespeare having written his own plays is that no-one questioned their authorship until more than 150 years after his death. During Shakespeare's lifetime, there were *no* rumours that he wasn't writing his own plays; after his death, no-one jumped forward to reveal themselves as the true author of his work. By the mid-eighteenth century, though, various amateur historians eager to increase the profile of their favourite author decided to use the "room for doubt" mentioned above to promote the idea that their favourite author could have written Shakespeare's plays. Then, beginning in the late 19th century, there arose a vogue for "proving" that Francis Bacon was the real author of Shakespeare's work by detecting ciphers and anagrams within the plays that, when solved, showed that Bacon had planted hidden messages in the plays to show that he was the real author of the work. However, others have subsequently used the exact same methods to "prove" that (among others) Lee Harvey Oswald was the true author of Shakespeare's plays.<P>In any event, almost every modern-day Elizabethan scholar would not hesitate to identify Shakespeare as the true author of the works that have long been attributed to him. There may be some question as to how much of his work has been altered by publishers, or by actors eager to add more verbiage to their roles, or even by the compilers of the various folios, but Shakespeare is generally acknowledged to be the source. <P>3) Was Shakespeare gay?<P>There's just not enough proof to support OR deny this. Despite the best efforts of historians the world over, much of Shakespeare's life story is based on conjecture and surmise; actual records and contemporary accounts of his life are extremely rare. It *IS* known for a fact that he married, and no-one has ever seriously questioned that he fathered his wife's three children. However, those who wish to "prove" Shakespeare's homosexuality (or his lack thereof) are confined to searching his work for various clues and hints scattered through the text. As should be obvious, one can draw conclusions from such an excercise, but *proof* is impossible to come by. Anyone who categorically states as an absolute fact that Shakespeare was gay -- *or* that he was straight -- is probably only grinding some sort of ideological axe.<P>
Golly. Didja ever think the Man-Man message board would be so gosh-darned educational?
2) Did Shakespeare write his own works?<P>The most damning evidence that he *didn't* write his own works is the fact that there are absolutely no copies of any Shakespeare plays that were written in his own hand. In fact, the folio editions of Shakespeare that we study today were assembled shortly after Shakespeare's death by colleagues who were working from sometimes incomplete (and possibly re-written) publishers' manuscripts, and in some cases, from the memories of the actors who performed in the original shows! Because Shakespeare's originals no longer exist, no-one will ever be able to offer *absolute* proof that Shakespeare actually wrote his plays, so there's always room for doubt...<P>However, the most persuasive argument in *favour* of Shakespeare having written his own plays is that no-one questioned their authorship until more than 150 years after his death. During Shakespeare's lifetime, there were *no* rumours that he wasn't writing his own plays; after his death, no-one jumped forward to reveal themselves as the true author of his work. By the mid-eighteenth century, though, various amateur historians eager to increase the profile of their favourite author decided to use the "room for doubt" mentioned above to promote the idea that their favourite author could have written Shakespeare's plays. Then, beginning in the late 19th century, there arose a vogue for "proving" that Francis Bacon was the real author of Shakespeare's work by detecting ciphers and anagrams within the plays that, when solved, showed that Bacon had planted hidden messages in the plays to show that he was the real author of the work. However, others have subsequently used the exact same methods to "prove" that (among others) Lee Harvey Oswald was the true author of Shakespeare's plays.<P>In any event, almost every modern-day Elizabethan scholar would not hesitate to identify Shakespeare as the true author of the works that have long been attributed to him. There may be some question as to how much of his work has been altered by publishers, or by actors eager to add more verbiage to their roles, or even by the compilers of the various folios, but Shakespeare is generally acknowledged to be the source. <P>3) Was Shakespeare gay?<P>There's just not enough proof to support OR deny this. Despite the best efforts of historians the world over, much of Shakespeare's life story is based on conjecture and surmise; actual records and contemporary accounts of his life are extremely rare. It *IS* known for a fact that he married, and no-one has ever seriously questioned that he fathered his wife's three children. However, those who wish to "prove" Shakespeare's homosexuality (or his lack thereof) are confined to searching his work for various clues and hints scattered through the text. As should be obvious, one can draw conclusions from such an excercise, but *proof* is impossible to come by. Anyone who categorically states as an absolute fact that Shakespeare was gay -- *or* that he was straight -- is probably only grinding some sort of ideological axe.<P>
Golly. Didja ever think the Man-Man message board would be so gosh-darned educational?
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Shepherd
- Regular Poster
- Posts: 346
- Joined: Fri Jan 01, 1999 4:00 pm
- Location: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sinclair Sinclair:
<B>Nice work on the Lovecraft reference (Cthulu's nephew). Are we to assume that the message boards are a source of inspiration for Man-man?</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Oddly enough, not in this case. This story was written and in James' hands long before our actual municipal elections (Nov. 4). It was actually all inspired by a candidate that came to my door, though...<P>...so municipal council candidates ARE a source of inspiration for Man-Man. Weird, huh?<P>------------------
Matt Shepherd, Writer
<A HREF="http://manmancomics.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Man-Man Comics</A>
<B>Nice work on the Lovecraft reference (Cthulu's nephew). Are we to assume that the message boards are a source of inspiration for Man-man?</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Oddly enough, not in this case. This story was written and in James' hands long before our actual municipal elections (Nov. 4). It was actually all inspired by a candidate that came to my door, though...<P>...so municipal council candidates ARE a source of inspiration for Man-Man. Weird, huh?<P>------------------
Matt Shepherd, Writer
<A HREF="http://manmancomics.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Man-Man Comics</A>