Hank Whittemore's Shakespeare Blog

For those intrigued by the new “Shakespeare”-portrait affair, I highly recommend MR. SHAKESPEARE’S BLOG.

If you scroll down somewhat you get to  their compilation of several reactions of orthodox Stratfordian scholars expressing their doubts.

In the 19th century there was a “feeding frenzy” for information about Shakespeare and, at the same time, scholars (such as John Payne Collier) turned to forgery.  They sensed that (1) the well of biographical information about “Shakespeare” was dry, not to mention empty; and that (2) they could “find” or “discover” (i.e., create by forgery) new writings and even whole documents, with no one readily able to challenge their authenticity.

These forgeries contributed largely to the myth of Shakespeare that endures to this day.  But the growing strength of the “authorship” movement — the challenge to the Stratford biography of “Shakespeare” — has sparked a similar frenzy … a frenzy to “find” and even MAKE UP new biographical information (i.e., Michael Wood, Stephen Greenblatt) that will feed the need to meet that challenge.

After all, the Earl of Oxford DOES happen to have a full biography that makes sense of the story behind the “Shakespeare” name; and the Shakespeare Establishment has become increasingly worried about it.

The same need to meet this challenge (the need for more flesh-and-blood on their man) has prompted Stratfordians — notably Stanley Wells, with this new “discovery” — to come up with new and more human-like portraits.

My goodness, Mr. Wells is even making Shakespeare into an aristocrat!  How long before he graduates to an earldom or even a dukedom?  Folks, it’s baloney.  It’s going to be exposed.  It’s being exposed as you read this.  And when the “Cobbe” portrait of Shakespeare is finally rejected, doubts about the whole legend of the Stratford man will grow accordingly.  In fact, the results may be even more sensational…

Take a look at those current doubters…

Cheers from Hank