Shakespeare scholar speaks out against Hollywood "libel"

An internationally-recognized New Zealand expert on the works of English playwright William Shakespeare has criticized a new film questioning the bard's authorship of his attributed plays as a Hollywood "libel." Professor Evelyn Tribble, of Otago University, said the star- studded film "Anonymous," which attributes Shakespeare's works to Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, was an implausible conspiracy theory. Directed by Roland Emmerich best known for blockbusters such as "2012" and "The Day After Tomorrow" the film, which had its world premiere in September and was released in New Zealand this week, is being promoted with the poster line "Was Shakespeare a fraud?" The so-called "Fakespeare theory" of the film has triggered an international debate on whether Shakespeare really wrote masterpieces such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet," with critics pointing out a list of historical inaccuracies in its plot. Tribble issued a statement Wednesday saying the question had been a catalyst in her decision to speak out and compare the debate on Shakespeare's authorship "to the implausible theory that the moon-landing was a fake." "This is a posthumous libel. It is also just the latest example of the Shakespeare authorship conspiracy theory 77 possible candidates have been proposed since the mid 19th Century," she said. "There is no reasonable doubt that the actor-playwright William Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the plays ascribed to him." She was concerned that the film's "uncontextualized facts, twisted half-truths and outright misrepresentations" could affect school teaching of Shakespeare and "create the appearance of a Shakespeare mystery." Tribble, the author of four books and a series of Shakespeare- related articles in publications around the world, said the assumption of a hidden hand in the bard's work was "patently false. " "Inconsistencies and implausibilities, such as the fact that the current pretender, the Earl of Oxford, died in 1604, prior to the composition of many of the plays, are explained away or become further grist for the conspiratorial mill," she said. Shakespeare benefited from the excellent Tudor grammar school system, which gave sons of the middle classes a thorough classical education emphasizing Latin poetry and drama, said Tribble. Critics had claimed that because of his lowly background, Shakespeare, who lived from around 1564 to 1616, could not have known about the court, noble households or foreign lands, but they overlooked the fact that he was an avid reader, she said. "The simple fact is that in the tight-knit gossipy community of theatrical professionals, Shakespeare's authorship was absolutely undisputed. I guess the truth is much more mundane than some people would like it to be." Emmerich has defended his film in various media and told the BBC last month, "I cannot believe that somebody who had nearly no education could write like this." Among the big names in the film's cast are mother and daughter Oscar-winner Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson, who play older and younger incarnations of Queen Elizabeth I.