OK, then if you don't think that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare, then like many others, you may agree that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the real writer of the Bard's works. After all, this aristocrat (1550-1604) lived at the right time (more or less), was a well-travelled and well-educated gentleman and was known to have written literary pieces for the Elizabethan court.
He was born in Essex and educated at Cambridge and by the time he was 27 he'd been admitted to Gray's Inn to study law. He was also such a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I that when he asked for permission to serve in the army in Flanders, she refused. However he did see action in 1570 when, under the Earl of Sussex he fought in a campaign against the Scottish Catholic nobles.
When he sneaked abroad to Flanders in 1574 without the queen's permission, he was brought home ignominiously by her agents. In the following year he was given leave of absence from the court and travelled to France and Italy where he visited Venice, Padua, Florence and Sicily. He was so impressed by what he saw in Italy that he readily adapted many Italian ways and fashions. Is it a surprise then to read that Italy features in about one third of Shakespeare's plays?
Next time I will continue with his biography and show how the Oxfordians - those who claim that the Earl of Oxford wrote the Bard's plays - were also supported by several important people. One of these was Sigmund Freud.
When he sneaked abroad to Flanders in 1574 without the queen's permission, he was brought home ignominiously by her agents. In the following year he was given leave of absence from the court and travelled to France and Italy where he visited Venice, Padua, Florence and Sicily. He was so impressed by what he saw in Italy that he readily adapted many Italian ways and fashions. Is it a surprise then to read that Italy features in about one third of Shakespeare's plays?
Next time I will continue with his biography and show how the Oxfordians - those who claim that the Earl of Oxford wrote the Bard's plays - were also supported by several important people. One of these was Sigmund Freud.
