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News and Events
Professor Stanley Wells and Mark Rylance debate the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt
On 27 September, 2007, Professor Stanley Wells, Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford, criticized Mark Rylance, Chairman of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust, and Sir Derek Jacobi for signing the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt in an article in The Stage magazine. You can read Prof. Wells' letter, followed by Mark's reply, plus a point-by-point rebuttal to Wells' criticisms of the Declaration written by the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition, on its website, www.DoubtAboutWill.org, or you can read the full transcript here, as a pdf document.
If you require Adobe Reader to read pdf files, please refer to the link on the left of this page.
MA Shakespeare Authorship Studies at Brunel University
Commencing Autumn 2007
This new MA programme, the first of its kind in the world, tackles and takes
seriously Shakespeare and the subject of Authorship in all its diversity.
The programme examines ways in which Shakespeare has been mythologised and
how issues of collaboration change our notion of authorship, value and authority.
The programme also examines the enormously controversial phenomenon of the
Shakespeare Authorship Question and ponders why this question causes such
controversy.
Course Content
One aspect of the course will be to examine the ways in which Shakespeare
has been made into the “cultural hero” that he is today. This will be
achieved through a close analysis of the historical developments and forces
which gave rise to the perceived need, or at least desire for a national and
global icon/genius. A subsequent close textual
analysis of a number of Shakespeare's writings will be studied and shown
to contain the work of other writers.
Finally, the phenomenon of the Shakespeare
Authorship Question will be studied. The aim is not to promote an alternative
candidate as the author of Shakespeare's work. Rather, it is to analyse
the actual social and cultural phenomenon that is the Authorship Question
itself. Why that Question is now more popular than ever amongst the general
public will be an important area of discussion.
Download detailed course description
www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/arts/shakespeare
www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/
Forthcoming Events
The Silberrad Memorial Lectures, November 2008
This November we will continue our John Silberrad Memorial Lecture Programme, which will take place at Shakespeare's Globe, in collaboration with Brunel University.
The dates and speakers for this year's lecture series are:
Thursday 6 November
John Michell
Who Wrote Shakespeare? The Candidates & their Promoters
Thursday 13 November
Prof. Sandra Schruijer
Fighting over Shakespeare's Authorship: Identity, Power and Academic Debate
Thursday 20 November
Hank Whittemore
Shake-Speare's Treason
Thursday 27 November
Dominic Dromgoole in conversation with Dr. William Leahy (Brunel University)
Will, the Question and Me
Further details of the contents of the talks are available as a pdf. If you require Adobe Reader to read pdf files, please refer to the link on the left of this page.
Venue for all lectures: Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 9DT
Start time: All lectures begin at 7.30
(Wine available before the start of the lectures)
Ticket prices: £10 per lecture, £18 for two, £27 for three, £35 for all four.
(To include a glass of wine)
Tickets: Shakespeare's Globe Box Office. Tel: 020 7401 9919
(Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm)