SHAKESPEARE'S AUTHORSHIP AND PARENTS: NEW RESEARCH

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New investigation: Shakespeare authorship question | Shakespeare's parents: ADN analysis needed to establish their real identity

Icons of Europe: This 'Chandos portrait' of supposedly Shakespeare (1564-1616) is named after James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos, an early owner.

Icons of Europe's independent review
Details updated on 24 December 2016

Shakespeare and his stable of bards

« William Shakespeare was an ingenious theatrical entrepreneur, but he was not the sole author of works bearing his name. The plays stem from a collaborative effort involving the finest playwrights and poets as well as the royal court. Ben Jonson ... ».

Our letter of 30 October 2011
in IHT / The New York Times

« An open-minded debate of Shakespeare’s identity could lead to important benefits ... “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” »
Letter by
Cecilia Jorgensen, Icons of Europe

>> The review

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
King James I & VI (1566-1625), portrayed by John de Critz or Marcus Gheerhardt the Younger (from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia, USA).

King James I & VI (1566-1625), portrayed by John de Critz or Marcus Gheerhardt the Younger (from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia, USA).

Scholars of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) support Icons of Europe's findings: "None of Shakespeare’s plays is the product of an isolated genius".¹

Icons of Europe concludes: « There is every reason to celebrate the theatrical entrepreneur Shakespeare and his entourage and set the record straight. » Ref. also third-party @AvonSwan's analysis of SBT's 60.Q/A.

Evidence for Icons of Europe's review includes the First Folio of 1623, Ben Jonson documentation, Westminster Abbey and various scholars of SBT.

James VI/I and William Shakespeare

Prince Charles responded to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust's survey in 2011: "It seems certain that Shakespeare and his King must have known each other well". - Of course they did - ref. "T he King's Men" (named so in 1603). So this cryptic response could allude to a special relationship prior to 1603.

Queen of Scots ...

More to come ...

Mary, Queen of Scots and David Rizzio: Icons of Europe asks, if they are the parents of Shakespeare and James VI/I.

Icons of Europe: Investigative historical research of cultural figures / A platform for cross-border dialogue, events and inspiration

Scholars have not been able to determine with certainty whether the above portrait really depicts William Shakespeare (1564-1616), nor who painted it. - Cecilia Jorgensen, Icons of Europe has in late 2011 developed a rationale for whom it actually could portray.	¹ "The idea of a single artistic mind presiding over a whole body of works is at odds with the very nature of professional theatre" - scholar replying to question 26 of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.	"Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times.” / "Notre ignorance de l'histoire nous fait calomnier notre temps." Flaubert à George Sand (1871)	Our letters in The New York Times: 2004 ("Heritage") and 2011 ("Shakespeare") European Shakespeare Research Association The Trust \| NYT blog \| Touchy \| Ben's tribe RSC \| Quotes \| Theories \| Oscar Wilde Shakespeare facts \| Guide for students Shakespeare Resource Center