Monday, June 16, 2008

Shakespeare - A Jewish Woman?

So my parents just returned from a business trip to Italy. They were telling the rest of the family where they went and what they saw, as they reclined on the sofa from a virtuoso 48 hour trip home.

One thing they talked about I found interesting, was on one of their tours, the guide said that Shakespeare was a Jewish woman. It shocked me a little at first, but once my brain cells came to, I realized that it might not be that impossible. Other women have taken male pen names (esp. those who couldn't get published otherwise).

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense (in it's own way) that Shakespeare could possibly have been a woman, especially when you take a look at the Sonnets. Granted, I'm not saying men couldn't write like that nor that a man could express loving feelings for another man (man being male and not the catch-all phrase of mankind). But that it is a possible argument. (Some have theorized that Shakespeare, as a man, was a little light in his loafers based on some of the sonnets accredited to him).

You can Google about Shakespeare being a Jewish woman and find all sorts of interesting articles about it. John Hudson was one of the first (if not the first), to bring up the argument that Shakespeare was a Jewish woman (by the name of Amelia Bassano Lanier). There is an online article by him that you can read at your leisure. (Also, another interesting read about John Hudson's theory here).

1 comment:

Heather said...

wow. I guess I've heard stuff like that before, or even that perhaps Shakespeare was more than one person?

Whatevers, it's all good writing! For that part doesn't matter WHO wrote it. :)