Anonymous - Oh the irony!

[Eoghan]

I was somewhat amused to see that Shakespearean lovvies are spitting feathers at the heretical film "Anonymous". I suppose it was only a question of time before literary critics turned their attention to the works of William Shakespeare and questioned whether he is really the author!

The film puts forward the minority report that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as his front. This will only gain traction as kids watch the movie and will no doubt start making it's way into school essays much to the horror of English teachers the world over.

I laugh every time I see it advertised on the TV. I just think of it as the revenge of Higher Criticism - comeback?

 

[Scottish Lass]

I'm cringing, too--I'm due to start teaching Romeo and Juliet tomorrow...

 

[PhilA]

I was somewhat amused to see that Shakespearean lovvies are spitting feathers at the heretical film "Anonymous". I suppose it was only a question of time before literary critics turned their attention to the works of William Shakespeare and questioned whether he is really the author!

The film puts forward the minority report that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as his front. This will only gain traction as kids watch the movie and will no doubt start making it's way into school essays much to the horror of English teachers the world over.

I laugh every time I see it advertised on the TV. I just think of it as the revenge of Higher Criticism - comeback?

But the authorship of Shakespeare’s work has always been in question this is nothing new! I remember at school that we debated this very issue.

If you are looking for historical accuracy in movies. Keep looking!

---------- Post added at 08:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------

I'm cringing, too--I'm due to start teaching Romeo and Juliet tomorrow...

Does it really matter who actually wrote Romeo & Juliet? Go to Verona and you will see many tourists who faithfully photograph Juliet’s balcony. Even though it was only built in the 1930’s.

 

[Scottish Lass]

No, it doesn't matter, but fifteen-year-olds can try to waste a lot of class time on things that don't matter!

 

[PhilA]

No, it doesn't matter, but fifteen-year-olds can try to waste a lot of class time on things that don't matter!

Rest assured it is not exclusive to fifteen-year-olds

 

[Fogetaboutit]

If these type of things interest you, you might be interested in the following documentary by Chris Pinto (Secret Mysteries of Americas Beginning - The New Atlantis). He believes in the Baconian theory which states that Shakespearian plays were written by a society of writters led by Francis Bacon.

Amazon.com: Secret Mysteries of America's Beginnings: The New Atlantis -- Volume 1: Christian J. Pinto: Movies & TV

Does it really matter who actually wrote Romeo & Juliet? Go to Verona and you will see many tourists who faithfully photograph Juliet’s balcony. Even though it was only built in the 1930’s.

Depends how you look at it, might not matter much to us today, but arts were often used during the renaissance to bring back pagan ideology and it brought a lot of controversy at the time, so it might be interesting to see how it influenced the Europeean society. So if you look it from that angle it might matter who the authors were and what were their intentions.

 

[PhilA]

If these type of things interest you, you might be interested in the following documentary by Chris Pinto (Secret Mysteries of Americas Beginning - The New Atlantis). He believes in the Baconian theory which states that Shakespearian plays were written by a society of writters led by Francis Bacon.

Amazon.com: Secret Mysteries of America's Beginnings: The New Atlantis -- Volume 1: Christian J. Pinto: Movies & TV

Does it really matter who actually wrote Romeo & Juliet? Go to Verona and you will see many tourists who faithfully photograph Juliet’s balcony. Even though it was only built in the 1930’s.

Depends how you look at it, might not matter much to us today, but arts were often used during the renaissance to bring back pagan ideology and it brought a lot of controversy at the time, so it might be interesting to see how it influenced the Europeean society. So if you look it from that angle it might matter who the authors were and what were their intentions.

Thanks for the recommendation. I am familiar with the theory around Bacon. It was the dominant theory before the rise of the Oxfordian theory. I don’t think we will ever know with certainty. You pays your money, and you take your choice.

 

[BobVigneault]

Those who would commit such boorish drivel to the printed page, and worse, to pictures in motion, art an artless, crook-pated, fawning, mewling, convocation of puttocks. And now I take my leave.