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Did William Shakespeare write
the plays usually attributed to him or was he an imposter?
Many claims have been advanced
supporting rival authors, based to a large extent on
Shakespeare’s presumed ignorance and inability, but no one has
ever succeeded in proving beyond doubt that their candidate was
the real writer. Nor, it must be said, has anybody proved
conclusively the case for Shakespeare.
His name, however, appears on
the title pages of every edition of the plays published over the
last three hundred years or so. This should be a strong point
in his favour, but his opponents claim it can be explained away
as part of the imposture.
Those supporting alternative
authors do best when they show that their protégés had the
education and access to sources necessary to write the plays.
Can the same be said for William Shakespeare?
The Ignorance of Shakespeare
does not attempt to answer all rival claims in detail—a project
that would require several volumes. Rather it aims to show that
it is far more likely than not that Shakespeare was well
educated, and had access to the reference books and source books
required to write the plays.
About the Author
Author John Doherty is retired
dentist currently working on a novel about a young man without
an identity. John and his wife live in Melbourne, Australia,
and enjoy spending time with their six children.
Listen to my
Radio Interview
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