For four hundred years, doubts have been recorded about whether William Shakespeare actually wrote the works attributed to him. This website offers the chance to explore different arguments for the most prominent authorship candidates. Cases are presented for the following:
Group Theory of Authorship, Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, Christopher Marlowe, Henry Neville, William Shakspere, Mary Sidney Herbert, and William Stanley.

Link and image of Francis Bacon Link and image of Edward de Vere
Link and image of William Stanley Link and image of Christopher Marlowe
Link and image of Henry Neville Link and image of Mary Sidney
Link and image of William Shakspere Link and image of Group Theory

Welcome

We hope this website serves as a crossroads and meeting place. If you don't know what the fuss is about go to Why the Question? and read the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt. Who we are and What we do will tell you of our past activities and future plans. If you are interested in finding out more, upcoming lectures and related events can be found under News and Events. If you want to go straight to your favourite candidate just click on the face or name. If you cannot find your candidate here and know of a website we could link to here at the crossroads, contact us.

Yours in doubt
Mark Rylance
Trustee of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust

News and Forthcoming Events

Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography : New Evidence of an Authorship Problem by Diana Price is now out in paperback. It is updated with corrections and new material, including:


  • analysis of Hand D (Shakespeare?) in the Sir Thomas More manuscript additions
  • reconsideration of the famous "Heywood Apology"
  • analysis of two annotations by George Buc, written on the title-pages of Locrine and George a Greene
  • proposed solution of Henslowe's "ne" annotation and its significance for play chronology
  • rebuttal to a key argument in James Shapiro's Contested Will

The paperback is available now at
Amazon.com @ $19.95
Amazon UK @ UK £ 13.95.

For those new to the Authorship controversy, this book will help you understand and appreciate why the Question exists at all. The author does not promote any alternative candidate, but clearly analyses the evidence for suggesting that Shakespeare's authorship of all the plays and poems conventionally attributed to him can reasonably be called into doubt. For those familiar with the Authorship Question, Diana Price's brilliant book is affordable at last!

For more information about the book and the author, please visit the author's website at www.shakespeare-authorship.com



Shakespearean Authorship Trust Conference Alert:
Shakespeare and the Mysteries - 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy...' Join the SAT on Sunday 18 November, 2012 for its annual one-day conference, held in collaboration with Brunel University, at Shakespeare's Globe (The Sackler Studios, on the corner of Bear Gardens and Park Street). What are the implications for the Authorship Question of Shakespeare's profound knowledge of Renaissance Neoplatonic and Hermetic traditions? Presentations and panel discussions by our speakers: Ros Barber, Julia Cleave, Peter Dawkins, Mark Rylance, Susan Sheridan, Earl Showerman and Claire van Kampen.
more



Ros Barber's highly acclaimed new novel in verse,
The Marlowe Papers, is to be officially launched at the British Library on Tuesday 29 May 2012 at 6.30pm. For more information and to purchase tickets click here.



Last Will. & Testament, the major documentary which had an advance screening at last year's SAT Gathering held at Shakespeare's Globe in November 2011, will be shown on Sky Arts 2 on 21st April at 8:00pm, more.
For further information on the advance screening of the film, which was shown at our SAT Gathering in November at Shakespeare's Globe, go to our Conference page.



Shakespearean Collections at Brunel University
These collections, donated by the De Vere Society and the Shakespearean Authorship Trust, are now located in Brunel University Library and are accessible to the public by appointment, more.

Shakespeare Authorship Debate held at the English-Speaking Union on June 6th 2011, more.

Recent Publications, more.



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