Wouldn’t It Be Cool if Shakespeare Wasn’t Shakespeare? No, no it wouldn't.

[dps]

I think that the movie Anonymous sounds fairly dreadful, but I am not so convinced as Stephen Marche that it will have any impact on the way people view Shakespeare and his work.  Even if someone is convinced by the movie that Shakespeare didn't write Shakespeare's work, they will have forgotten the name of who they believe did in two days, and will have forgotten that they ever doubted that Shakespeare was Shakespeare by the end of the week.

Why?  Because "Shakespeare" is a word, not a name, to 99% of the people in our society.  The name describes a condition, rather than naming a person, for most people (including me, most of the time).

So, I think that Stephen Marche's concern is an interesting one, and well-written, but over something that is an issue mostly to academics.

Beyond any other issue, I don't think that enough people are actually going to see the film for it to have much impact on the way incoming college students view Shakespeare during the next 10 years.

I heard that Shakespeare was really his brother.

Don't be silly.  Shakespeare was much to young to have been grumbler's brother.  Grumbler's great-great-nephew, maybe.

[Slargos]

The correct question is "Who the fuck cares?"

The deeply disturbing trend here is that I agree with Grumbler in two separate threads in less than two months. We may be headed towards some sort of reality-altering doomsday event. We'll know if these incidents start occurring with higher frequency.

[Malthus]

The correct question is "Who the fuck cares?"

The deeply disturbing trend here is that I agree with Grumbler in two separate threads in less than two months. We may be headed towards some sort of reality-altering doomsday event. We'll know if these incidents start occurring with higher frequency.

When he starts agreeing with you, I'll be really concerned.

When he starts finding you agreeable, I'll prepare the bunker for the apocalypse. 

[Caliga]

Didn't Brazen subscribed to this theory?

I think you're thinking of me... it's not that I subscribe to it, but rather that I like to read about conspiracy/alternate theories and occasionally throw stuff out there on Languish about them.  I know I've made jokes on here about Shakespeare = de Vere or Shakespeare = Bacon before.  But I also do the same thing when it comes to the crazy-ass 1421 theory, fake Moon landings, LBJ killed JFK, etc.  I don't really care who wrote Shakespeare's plays.  Except for The Tempest and The Merchant of Venice, I actually hated reading most of them... for some reason I found alot of his dialogue difficult to follow and I found myself re-reading it over and over again.

[Eddie Teach]

Didn't Brazen subscribed to this theory?

I think you're thinking of me...

It's a common mistake.

[Grey Fox]

Didn't Brazen subscribed to this theory?

I think you're thinking of me... it's not that I subscribe to it, but rather that I like to read about conspiracy/alternate theories and occasionally throw stuff out there on Languish about them.  I know I've made jokes on here about Shakespeare = de Vere or Shakespeare = Bacon before.  But I also do the same thing when it comes to the crazy-ass 1421 theory, fake Moon landings, LBJ killed JFK, etc.  I don't really care who wrote Shakespeare's plays.  Except for The Tempest and The Merchant of Venice, I actually hated reading most of them... for some reason I found alot of his dialogue difficult to follow and I found myself re-reading it over and over again.

What's the 1421 theory?

[Josquius]

This film sounds like it follows quite a crazy theory.
But I always thought Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare theories are already kind of mainstream as far as an English student would be concerned at least.

[Caliga]

What's the 1421 theory?

There's this lunatic ex-submariner from Britain who wrote a book about how, in 1421, a fleet of Chinese junks captained by a Muslim eunuch sailed around the world and all over North and South America.