Overview

Presenting striking new evidence, this book shows that ""William Shakespeare"" was the pen name of William Stanley, son of the Earl of Derby. Born in 1561, he was educated at Oxford, travelled for three years abroad, and studied law in London, mixing with poets and playwrights. In 1592 Spenser recorded that Stanley had written several plays. In 1594 he unexpectedly inherited the earldom--hence the pen name. He became a Knight of the Garter in 1601, eligible to help bear the canopy over King James at his coronation, likely prompting Sonnet 125's ""Wer't ought to me I bore the canopy?""--he is the only authorship candidate ever in a position to ""bear the canopy"" (which was only ever borne over royalty). Love's Labour's Lost parodies an obscure poem by Stanley's tutor, which few others would have read. Hamlet's situation closely mirrors Stanley's in 1602. His name is concealed in the list of actors' names in the First Folio. His writing habits match Shakespeare's as deduced from the early printed plays. He was a patron of players who performed several times at court, and financed the troupe known as Paul's Boys. No other member of the upper class was so thoroughly immersed in the theatrical world.

Full Product Details

Author:   John M. Rollett
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.376kg
ISBN:  

9780786496600

ISBN 10:   0786496606
Pages:   212
Publication Date:   24 April 2015
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Prologue Introduction Part I: Fundamentals 1. Basic Knowledge 2. Shakespeare’s Impossible Doublet 3. Shakspere a ­Stand-In 4. Shakspere Eliminated 5. Who Bore the Canopy? 6. Spenser’s Two Gentle Poets 7. Nashe’s Gentle Poet 8. Plays: Expanded or Contracted? 9. The Lancashire Connection 10. William Stanley’s Early Years 11. Retrospective 1 12. Interlude: Word Games, Acrostics and Ciphers Part II: The Sonnets 13. The Sonnets Considered 14. The Fair Youth Royal? 15. The Fair Youth’s Lineage 16. The Queen’s Children? 17. The Queen’s Child 18. Southampton the Fair Youth 19. The Cipher Solutions Assessed 20. Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton 21. Henry Wriothesley: Early Years and Last Days 22. Retrospective 2 Part III: Discoveries 23. The Hidden Name 24. William Stanley, Sixth Earl of Derby 25. The Poet and the Fair Youth 26. The Rival Poet 27. Plays Linked with Stanley 28. Pointers to Stanley 29. Derby’s Letters Conclusion Appendix A: Oxford Eliminated Appendix B: Portrait of William Stanley (Portrait of Shakespeare?). Nashe’s Epistle to “Strange News” Appendix C: The Odds That Chance Produced “Henry ­Wr-ioth-esley” Appendix D: More Letters by Derby Appendix E: Postscript: Henry Heir? Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Retired research scientist John M. Rollett’s interest in the Shakespeare Authorship Question dates from the 1960s, and he has published several papers on Shakespeare in Notes & Queries, a leading academic journal dealing with literature.

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