Shakes and epitaphs. Or i shall live your epitaph to make: Bruce Leyland December 20th, 2012 at 8:54 am There have been many candidates put forward as the real author. Setting group theory aside, it’s likely that there was only one principal author. Therefore, all but one of the candidate proposed are incorrect. It’s likely then that the arguments for them (including WS) will leave many rather cold. One very intriguing subset of Shakespeare’s works are the epitaphs. In addition to his own epitaph, there are two further epitaphs that are attributed to Shakespeare (see below). Like his own epitaph, and in contrast to any other sample of his writing, these would seem to be uncharacteristically poor work. Moreover, for an epitaph, one would expect that a writer – particularly a great writer – would strive to produce something of eternal quality. Shakespeare seems to have failed by some distance in each of these three instances. It seems most likely that these epitaphs are indeed written by Shakespeare – as it would be a very unusual circumstance to put a false name to an epitaph. Taken together, the three epitaphs indicate that Shakespeare of Stratford was able to write, but, the consistently poor quality strongly indicates that he was not an accomplished writer. He is willing to put his name to published writing, but not enough of a writer to produce good work when it is really needed. This solemn obligation of the writer to be truthful in signing an epitaph may provide a logical answer to the question of why Shakespeare didn’t write any eulogy for Elizabeth or Prince Henry. The evidence of the three epitaphs suggests that Shakespeare did not have the skill to eulogise royalty. And, whoever was the real writer of the works attributed to Shakespeare would not do so under a false name – hence the otherwise inexplicable silence. —————————————————————– Who lies in the tomb? ‘Hough’, quoth the Devil, ‘Tis my son John A Combe.’ —————————————————————– Howe’er he lived, judge not; John Combe shall never be forgot While poor hath memory; for he did gather To make the poor his issue, he their father, As record of his tilth and seed Did crown him in the latter deed. (attributed to W. Shakespeare) —————————————————————– When God was pleas’d (the world unwilling yet), Elias James to nature paid his debt, And here reposeth; as he liv’d he died, The saying in him strongly verified, ‘Such life, such death.’ Then, the known truth to tell, He liv’d a godly life, and died as well. - WM. SHAKSPEARE —————————————————————– GOOD FREND FOR IESUS SAKE FORBEARE, TO DIGG THE DUST ECLOASED HEARE. BLESE BE YE MAN YT SPARE THES STONES, AND CURST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:04:52 +0000
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