ANONYMOUS

Words, words, words.

            --Hamlet , Act II, Scene 2 by William Shakespeare

According to the makers of the film, Anonymous, who wrote A Midsummer’s Night Dream?

 

1.)   William Shakespeare

2.)   Christopher Marlowe

3.)   Edward de Vere

4.)   Sir Francis Bacon

Director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter John Orloff credit Edward de Vere for writing A Midsummer’s Night Dream when he was 8 years old!  In turn, this child prodigy would play Puck in a production staged for Queen Elizabeth, and later would secretly sire a child with her majesty.  The film also claims Shakespeare was a buffoonish bit player and illiterate drunkard who murdered Christopher Marlowe. 

How much of the film is based on truth?  There’s been centuries of debate over who wrote Shakespeare’s plays.  Great minds such as Sigmund Freud, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain,  Henry James , and members of The U.S. Supreme Court have examined the situation.  Scholars have dedicated their lives to debunking or defending the Bard.

Edward de Vere

Emmerich points to several ‘facts’ to support his theory: no handwritten notes of Shakespeare’s writings exist; he never traveled to many of the countries detailed in his plays; Will’s background (his parents were illiterate) suggests he’s not smart enough to possess such a rich vocabulary and literary capabilities. Another theory suggests that de Vere’s illegitimate child with the Queen Mum –the Earl of Southhampton--was mentioned in a sonnet and Hamlet was based on de Vere’s life, including the murder of a servant that parallels the death of Polonius.  In essence political motivations forced the ‘true’ author’s identity to be kept secret and use Will as the front man.

It’s important to point out that Emmerich is no stranger to outlandish claims of authenticity. The Day After Tomorrow played fast and loose with global warming issues. He also created quite a stir with the film, 2012, postulating that the world was doomed to destruction based on an ancient Mayan calendar and unique alignment of the planets (read the F2F entry here).  Emmerich admits that Anonymous is is ‘Hollywoodized’, but videotaped a segment pointing out 10 reasons why he thinks Shakespeare is a fraud.  Critics and scholars have pointed out several historical inaccuracies in the film, which should remind moviegoers that filmmakers often plays with the facts to create a rollicking good tale.  As Hamlet once said ‘doubt truth to be a liar.’ 

Read an article about the controversy here