Hmmmm...I don't know. I know it's been suggested that Elizabeth I had bastard children, but I don't know if I buy it. Also, I thought she was a woman who wasn't easily swayed in her opinions...and it appears here that her Puritan councilor really controls her. That causes me pause.
However, I am intrigued by the movie thus far. I have heard that Oxford was the person who wrote the plays....interesting theory.
What do you guys think?
I could so totally see this with what we have talked about in class such as Shakespeare having such a strong background of the courts and writing to please whoever king or queen at the time. I liked the idea that he did not want anyone to know that he himself was writing the plays so he paid a writer off and then when someone else tries to claim the plays as his Oxford comes up with the name William Shakespeare that is almost believable.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that it is possible because of the way things were at the time that these writings came out, but I just have a huge issue believing the idea that the queen had some son that no one knew about and an even more difficult time believing that if she had said son that he would create all these writings and to top it all off he didn't claim any of them. It just seems like a stretch to me.
DeleteLevi,
DeleteThere are several historians that believe Elizabeth had not one but two bastard children. It's out there in research. Interesting.
I think that someone like Oxford writing the plays is easily possible, especially in that era. I mean you take a public who doesn't know anything besides what you show or tell them and the vicious fight against literature at the time. It would be easy for someone to act as if they created plays and such, because the true author would be in terrible danger because of their name and political standing. It was easy to be sneaky when everyone only had the voice that comes out of their mouth and a very, very slow messenger system.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kyle especially with your statement about the slow messenger system and the fact that someone would pretend to be another to protect their name.
DeleteI'm with you on this, exactly what I was thinking. :)
DeleteAfter watching the video about Shakespeare being a fake and seeing in this movie how Oxford created him, I think it could be very possible that Shakespeare isn't real.
ReplyDeleteCould go either way likely it was a fake name to get people to watch their play like JK Rowling was an alias because the author believed the book would sell better with a male name.
DeleteGarrett,
DeleteI think that you're on to something. It could be that the players wrote it....but were they that talented? I wouldn't doubt that it is a pen name.
The idea of Shakespeare being a pseudonym is intriguing, and a theory that is extremely pausible.
DeleteI definitely don't completely buy what they're saying in the movie simply because there is so much guess work and personal opinions that made this story fall into place the way that it did. I think that there may be some truth to some of the theories that there are out there simply because there are so many, but for the most part I don't feel that there was anything huge or conspiracy oriented in Shakespeare's writings.
ReplyDeleteEveryone makes their own decisions for what they will believe and what they will not personally I would stick to my fake alias idea up above I mean actors probably would not have the pull to get out there. Or even your average guy would be hard pressed to get noticed. Or it could have be something else entirely we probably will never know.
DeleteIt made sense when Oxford was experimenting with how to create William Shakespeare's name and how in the "Shakespeare is a fake" video that his signature was never consistent. In those days it most likely wasn't unrealistic to take a no one and have them cover for a higher up.
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand what you are saying Jennifer, but I just have a huge issue with Oxford not wanting any of the credit or at least to have the credit go to someone close to him. I feel that if Oxford had written these stories that it would be more important to him to benefit from them than the story seems to make it out to be.
DeleteTrue. A writer would want credit for his own work, considering if the plays were so popular. But, considering that Oxford is gay, maybe he doesn't want to disgrace his family more so he wants to blame it on someone else while still doing what make him happy.
DeleteJennifer, you say stupid things. He is clearly not wanting someone to "take the blame" for his writing. His writings are something that he is very proud of and wants to share with the world. He is not worried about disgracing his family at all. If anything he is simply worried about his own safety and trying to protect himself from ridicule.
Deletenow now, she isn't saying stupid things. Add an emoticon in there to lighten it up, ;).
DeleteWell, as far as writing and sharing with the world....why didn't he publish those plays? Instead he published poems. THe plays were only ever written down by the actors...
People are going to believe what they want to believe no matter what anyone or anything says. It's all possible to me, but then again it's not. I guess I'm just stuck in the middle when it comes to it.
ReplyDeleteYea lol its like it would be really awesome if the movie was true but I just think its maybe a reach
DeleteI could definitely see Shakespeare being a pen name for someone else (like Oxford). It was a very common practice back then when writers were being persecuted for things that they wrote. It is still a pretty popular practice today as well. For example J.D. Robb and Lewis Carrol are both examples of pen names that a lot of people are familier with.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy the fact that Queen Elizabeth had bastard children. I understand they hid her away so she could do the pregnancy without eyes to see it, but really hiding a pregnancy of a queen sounds very difficult.
ReplyDeleteWith what all seems to go on with Elizabeth, i would not be surprised that she would have a bastard child. It seems like a lot of crazy stuff has happened with her
ReplyDelete