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Who was Shakespeare? Who was Shakespeare?
The Stratfordian position The Stratfordian position
The Post-Stratfordian position The Post-Stratfordian position
William Shakespeare was a woman William Shakespeare was a woman
William Shakespeare was part of a collective William Shakespeare was part of a collective
Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford was Shakespeare Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford was Shakespeare
It is there in black and white It is there in black and white
Shakespeare was a common man from Warwickshire Shakespeare was a common man from Warwickshire
Where is the documentation? Where is the documentation?
There were rumors during Shakespeare's life There were rumors during Shakespeare's life
An education gap An education gap
Shakespeare’s detailed will makes no mention of books or literature Shakespeare’s detailed will makes no mention of books or literature
Not all of Shakespeare's plays were published in his lifetime Not all of Shakespeare's plays were published in his lifetime
The two Shakespeares The two Shakespeares
The case for Francis Bacon The case for Francis Bacon
The case for Christopher Marlowe The case for Christopher Marlowe
The case for Edward de Vere The case for Edward de Vere
The case for Walter Raleigh The case for Walter Raleigh
The feminization of Shakespeare The feminization of Shakespeare
There is sufficient motive There is sufficient motive
William Shakespeare was an 'excellent gentlewoman' William Shakespeare was an 'excellent gentlewoman'
Shakespeare had a hidden code Shakespeare had a hidden code
The case for Emilia Bassano The case for Emilia Bassano
Several of Shakespeare's plays are collaborative efforts Several of Shakespeare's plays are collaborative efforts
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Who was Shakespeare?
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William Shakespeare was a woman

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William Shakespeare was an 'excellent gentlewoman'

A well-known Elizabethan literary critic was raving about an anonymous woman writing around the time.
Elizabeth Winkler
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Context

In 1593, the same year the William Shakespeare's name first appeared in print, a prominent Elizabethan literary critic named Gabriel Harvey was praising an 'excellent gentlewoman'. [1]

The Argument

“I dare not Particularise her Description,” he wrote, leaving the object of his praise anonymous; however, he revealed that the woman in question had already written three sonnets and a comedy. Gabriel Harvey wrote of the woman's work, "all her speeches beautified with the grace of Affability … In her mind there appeareth a certain heavenly Logic; in her tongue & pen a divine Rhetoric … I dare undertake with warrant, whatsoever she writeth must needs remain an immortal work, and will leave, in the activest world, an eternal memory of the silliest vermin that she should vouchsafe to grace with her beautiful and allective style, as ingenious as elegant." This sound eerily like the work we have come to associate with the Bard.

Counter arguments

There are two issues with assuming that Harvey is talking about Shakespeare when he refers to an 'excellent gentlewoman'. Firstly, at the beginning of his career, Shakespeare was largely unrecognised. In 1593, he was likely still living in London and would not yet have the profile to draw the attention of the country's most prolific literary critics. Secondly, by 1593, Shakespeare had written more than three sonnets and a comedy. He had written five plays himself, co-authored a further three and written two long poems.[2] Therefore, we can assume that Harvey is not talking about Shakespeare when he refers to an 'excellent gentlewoman'.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Around the time of Shakespeare's emergence, a prominent Elizabethan literary critic was praising an 'excellent gentlewoman' who had written sonnets and a comedy. [P2] This sounds like he was referring to Shakespeare's work. [P3] Therefore, Shakespeare was a woman.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] By 1593 Shakespeare had written far more than three sonnets and a comedy. [Rejecting P2] Therefore, Harvey was not referring to Shakespeare.

References

  1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/who-is-shakespeare-emilia-bassano/588076/
  2. https://spectator.us/shakespeare-woman-atlantic/
This page was last edited on Monday, 20 Jan 2020 at 09:51 UTC

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