Shakespeare and ...

Perhaps with … with … revised by … by Shakespeare and … Thomas Nashe; George Peele; George Wilkins; Thomas Middleton; John Fletcher. No consensus. For/against. Credit given where the play seems weak; not where it is strong. Any shortcomings, dissatisfactions with structure, style and quality must be due to collaboration. God forbid Shakespeare have an 'off' play. But is there convincing evidence? Yes and no. It's debated; the plays in question – Henry VIII (aka All is True) being one – are compared to those held to be sole Shakespeare; portions in supposed dual-authored texts are attributed, to no end, however. And as no agreement can be reached, interest shifts, falls away. What does it matter? Well, it just does, doesn't it? If Shakespeare questions, examines, the nature of truth, then we should do the same – consider the alternative: allow the sun to shine on other names.

Picture credit: The Plays of William Shakespeare,1849, Sir John Gilbert (source: Wikipedia).

From journal, March 2023.