Shakespeare–Who Was He?: The Oxford Challenge to the Bard of Avon

William Shakespeare is the only literary figure whose very identity is a matter of long-standing and continuing dispute. Was he really the glover’s son from Stratford-on-Avon? Or was he someone else writing under the pseudonym William Shakespeare? Interest is growing now that a consensus has formed for Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, as the leading candidate. This book claims that Oxford, a recognised poet, playwright and patron of acting companies, has eclipsed Bacon, Marlowe and all the other candidates. The Oxfordian challenge is now being covered in scholarly books, in articles in magazines such as The New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly and on television, including an hour-long PBS Frontline programme. The issue has even been debated in a moot court before three justices of the Supreme Court - with an intriguing outcome. Whalen’s book aims to provide a readable summary for the general reader, one that analyses the main arguments for both the man from Stratford-on-Avon and the Earl of Oxford. His conclusion? He argues that the case for Oxford is much more persuasive. Oxford’s life in general, and in its particulars, is mirrored throughout the works of Shakespeare in many striking ways, particularly in Hamlet , the most autobiographical of the plays. Many who have examined the case for Oxford have had their appreciation of Shakespeare transformed and enriched. This book should be interesting reading for those who love Shakespeare and want to know more about why the authorship controversy persists. The main narrative is supplemented by endnotes, appendixes, and a bibliography.