The farmer and mechanic., 1912-08-06
VARIOUS THEORIES
ABOUT SHAKSPERE
A Critical Discussion Of Theories Ad-
yanced by a Long Line Of
ShakSpereans.
By GEORGE A. wAuCHOPE
University OF South Carolina !

My purpose in what I shall have
10 say IS not TO pronounce a eulegy
upon Shakspere-thath has been bet-
ter done hundred times; nor to give
you detailed criticism Of his thirty
seven marvellous dramas-that has
been done by hundred others-I
wish simply to talk to you in an un-
technical way Of this fascinating Eliz-
ahtthan actor-manager and play-
wright and tell you Of the various in
t'r"Stins theories that have been ad-
Edhr"d IN regard to his personality
and Development as a dramatist.
IN = recent editorial in The State
tC"intnbia. S. 60, the statement has
BEEN p'ausibly made that Shakspere
J. Ioday the most interesting man that
ever lived. only one other name has
been submitted as rival competitor
for this high eminence-that OF the
Emperor Napoleon. 1t was shown by
an English magazine few years ago
th"t by the votes Of competent and
representative body of electors
Sha'spcrc stands with Napoleon at
the head of any list Of 500 Of the
Gr'ni"st names in history. OF course
III S'1ch comparison, one unap-
Iroarhtble exception must reVeren-
tally be made of him whom Charles
Lamb SO beautifully named first
anon. Those Whom One Would
Wish to Have Seen. A London jour
nalst declared that Professor Wal
lace's recent discovery of documents
relating to Sha kspere including a
sixth autograph, was the most inter
e3tinG event OF the year 1909, and
more important than Peary's discov-
cry Of the North Pole. The people
OF London were, in fact, SO astOUnded
at this feat Of an unknown American
TEACHER that at first they suspected a
stupcndous hoax, like DR.. Cookies
rl
ter OF the Rolls whether it were not
possible for forged MS. to be insert
ed among the millions of mould;
parchments in the Public Record
Office.
The finding of Shakspere's los
drama Loves Labour's Won," or OF
an authentic portrait of him. would
not only enrich but immortalize tht
discoverer, and would make a greater
stir than the announcement Of an un
published novel by Scott or Dickens
In q museum in Birmingham, I have
every won of which was on Shakspert
and his works. At least 100, 900 col
teEe students have been studying hin
today. and over a million high schoo
boys and girls are reading him tonigh
IT. preparation Of tomorroWs lessons
Volumes have 'been written on nov
h spelled his name (there are Onl.
rs ways Of doing it), and as Furnival
s0urly remarks, ''It has hitherto beer
too much to ask people to suppos
that Shakspere knew how to spell hi
own name" There are only six au
thentic autographs Of the poet know
To be in existence, and they are be
yond thought Of price Not even
billion n-dOllar Republican Congress
could buy one. Only 200 copies 0
the First Folio edition Of Shakspere'
plays have been traced, and onl
about twenty of these are in perfec
state ii. e. with the portrait printed
not inlaid, on the title page, and tn
hy leaf facing it, with all the page
succeeding il, intact and uninjured)
J. pierpont Morgan in 1899 purchase
copy for 1000 pounds, and cop
was sold in the same year to Bernar
Macgeorge. OF Glasgow, for Ito
pounds ,ss,5oo), the largest figur
yet reached. His QuartOS. orlg1nali
one shilling. now sell for $500.
We quote Shakespere every day, OF
ten uuconsciOuSly, and talk more IA
mliar!y about his fictitious men an
women than we do Of half the rea
chara cters Of history; and we ofte
feel that We know his characters be,
ter than we do the neighbors aroun
the corner Matthew Arnold say
that. not until a writer has obtalne
foreign and international recognltlOl
can he be justly regarded classic,
fixed star in the literary firmamen
Shakspere, of all the world author
best meets this test. He has bee
translated into more foreign lar
guages and acted in more foreig
countries (including Japan last year
than any other man that ever wro'
our language And Shakspere
second only to that great best-selle
the Bible.
Theories About Shakespere.
Sidney Lee enumerates thirty-h1
documents directly mentioning Shal
spere and the twenty-six Wa1lat
parchmeuts can now be added, NAL
ing sixty-one in all. In additto
there are several hundred other refe
ences, such as illusions to him by
contemporaries. the title-pages
quartos and folios and official re
Ords ia the Stationer's Register ar
the Stratford parish register.