The Case for Shakespeare: The End of the Authorship Question

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Description

While gaps in the biographical record for William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon continue to confound literary scholars, McCrea here concludes that he was, indeed, the playwright and poet we have always thought him to be. This literary forensics case follows the trail of evidence in the historical record and in the plays and poems themselves. It investigates the counterclaims for other authors and the suppositions that the real author of the works must have been a soldier, a scholar, a lawyer, a courtier, and a traveller to Italy. In spirited and fascinating detail, this book carefully takes apart the case for other authors and proves the case conclusively. Unlike other books that make the case for one or another candidate for the "real" Shakespeare, this book makes the case for the Bard of Avon even as it considers the alternative arguments for other authors and presents the evidence against them. Special attention is paid to the leading contender, Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, but like other conspiracy theories, this one is put to rest through a careful combing of the clues and a convincing presentation of the facts. In the end, readers will be reassured as to the identity of the real Shakespeare, who was, and is, the glover's son from Avon.

Reviews

"[This volume] is not only compellingly written but it also has an inviting, conversational tone that I found both appealing and suspenseful, convincing as scholarship and at the same time stimulating to read...McCrea skillfully disarms the Oxfordian pretensions and, as he does so, illuminates the claim of Shakespeare to his rightful name. - Albert Bermel, author of Shakespeare at the Moment"

Author Bio

Scott McCrea is on the faculty of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film at the State University of New York, Purchase College. He is also an active playwright.