Was William Shakespeare a Jewish woman in disguise? - Haaretz

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		William Shakespeare (AP)

Last update - 00:00 28/05/2008

Was William Shakespeare a Jewish woman in disguise?

By Rebecca Honig Friedman, The Forward

Tags: William Shakespeare, Jewish

Amateur Shakespearologist John Hudson is not the first to question whether the actor William Shakespeare was actually the author of the body of work we've come to know as his, but Hudson is the first to suggest that the true author was a Jewish woman named Amelia Bassano Lanier.

Of Italian descent, Bassano lived in England as a Marrano and has heretofore been known only as the first woman to publish a book of poetry ("Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum" in 1611) and as a candidate for "the dark lady" referred to in the sonnets.

Hudson is the first to argue that she's the true author of those sonnets.
H

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e is so convinced of Bassano's authorship that he formed a theater company, The Dark Lady Players, to bring out, through performance, the true meanings of the plays as, he argues, Bassano intended them.

The theory rests largely on the circumstances of Bassano's life, which Hudson contends match, much better than William Shakespeare's did, the content of "Shakespeare's" work. But Hudson has also identified technical similarities between the language used in Bassano's known poetry and that used in "Shakespeare's" verse. And he has located clues in the text - recently noted Jewish allegories and the statistically significant appearance of Amelia Bassano Lanier's various names in the plays - that he says point to her as the only convincing candidate for the author of Shakespeare's work. (For more details, visit www.darkladyplayers.com.)

And Hudson's no charlatan. Holding numerous degrees from various prestigious academic institutions, in a range of specialties from Shakespeare and dramaturgical theory to sociology and anthropology, Hudson has spent most of his career as a cognitive scientist, restructuring the communications industry and inventing new industry models - exactly what he is now doing with Shakespeare. So prepare to rethink everything you learned in your high-school English classes.

Rebecca Honig Friedman, who blogs at jewess.canonist.com, recently caught up with Hudson for a chat.

Rebecca Honig Friedman: In your mind, is this the hugest literary hoax ever pulled off or the worst example of a man stealing a woman's glory?

John Hudson: I don't think this is a hoax. It is a stratagem she used to get her work published, as many other women have done, by having their work published under a man's name. In Elizabethan London, women could not write original literature at all, let alone plays, so this was her only option.

RHF: So do you consider it a triumph on Bassano's part?

J.H.: The example I use is that of the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria. In order that his name might be known, the architect Sostratus had his name carved on the stone base, then covered over with a piece of plaster with a dedication to the king. In time the plaster fell away, revealing the architect's name. Amelia's strategy was to leave behind a preposterous case for William Shakespeare, which has now fallen away, revealing the true creator who is now at last visible.

RHF: How much knowledge of Jewish texts was Bassano likely to have as a Marrano and a woman?

J.H.: There was only one Talmud known in England, in the Westminster Cathedral library; however, talmudic teaching was also oral, so individual quotes could have been transmitted that way. There are several quotes from the Pirke Avot, which was available as a standalone volume in Latin, as was the Zohar.

There were women scholars at the time, including one who was a distant relative of the Bassanos: Donna Ana (Reyna) de Nasi continued her mother's vision and support for Torah scholarship, and in her 50s set up a printing press at Belvedere Palace that published a dozen Hebrew books from 1592 to 1599, including an allegorical drama and a talmudic treatise.

RHF.: Why would Bassano have written sonnets about herself as "the dark lady"?

J.F.: The Sonnets have several voices, and the so-called dark lady sonnets are written to herself in the third person, describing a woman whose cheek is gray and whose breasts are dun.

RHF.: We are told that Shakespeare's works are timeless. But your staging of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the upcoming "As You Like It" puts a specific, time-bound spin on the plays. Are you not damaging their appeal - even their genius - in some way?

JH: Some directors anachronistically set the plays at the North Pole or in outer space or in a Mafia village. They therefore destroy and suppress the allusions that the plays contain and make them impossible to discern. I understand why directors who do not understand the plays might resort to such misleading devices. But they should do so no longer, and should use their staging to reveal what the author really meant.

RHF: Many actors seem to enjoy the fact that Shakespeare was an actor, too. Does the idea that Bassano has written the plays change that aspect of their appeal?

J.H.: All the world is a stage, and this was especially true at the Elizabethan court, where courtiers were constantly creating and performing meta-theatrical dramas to persuade the queen about various issues. This is where the author learned his or her highly developed sense of theater, and as a Marrano passing in a Christian society, she had to act every moment of her life.

RHF: Your theory adds a new layer to the manipulation of gender roles in Shakespeare's plays, doesn't it?

J.H.: Yes, the Shakespearean plays have more examples of women characters dressing up as men than in the whole of the English theater up to that point. Now we know why

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1.	of course	01:33	\|	chewgum	28/05/08

2.	The dark lady of the sonnets has been considered to be a black	02:20	\|	lakshmi	28/05/08

3.	Shakespeare	02:29	\|	Harold F	28/05/08

4.	Harold F	02:48	\|	Brad	28/05/08

5.	More likely he had the hots for her...	02:56	\|	Jordan	28/05/08

6.	Shakespeare	04:01	\|	Harold F	28/05/08

7.	Uh-oh, jordan, you`ve done it now!	04:01	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

8.	Shakespeare was an Arab by the name Sheikh Zobeer.	04:09	\|	Ghaddaafi	28/05/08

9.	Ghaddaafi	07:20	\|	MrZee	28/05/08

10.	Shakespeare was not a writer, he/she/it was a dramatists	07:27	\|	L A	28/05/08

11.	Didn`t you run this story a few months ago?	07:31	\|	Ben	28/05/08

12.	Dark Lady	07:32	\|	Prasad	28/05/08

13.	read bill brisons book on shakesheare	09:11	\|	cheeze-butt	28/05/08

14.	Professor Beckenbauer differs	09:14	\|	Peter Snodgrass	28/05/08

15.	Yea. And I suppose it was this Jewish lady who wrote...	09:15	\|	Jew	28/05/08

16.	Good heavens Lakshmi	09:22	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	28/05/08

17.	Holling`s unworthy - unable to think Jews are people	09:23	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	28/05/08

18.	#14 Fagin is in Dickens` Oliver Twist	09:23	\|	hala	28/05/08

19.	And who wrote Christopher Marlowe`s plays?	09:27	\|	hala	28/05/08

20.	INDEED, HE WAS JEWISH!!	09:33	\|	Peter Schlemihl	28/05/08

21.	Jacques Pierre	09:38	\|	hala	28/05/08

22.	Shakespear (Ltd). was a group of happyt gay men	09:49	\|	17	28/05/08

23.	#8 you got the name wrong	09:58	\|	Gadaffi	28/05/08

24.	Shakespeare	10:05	\|	Michael	28/05/08

25.	Frances Bacon/Yentl	10:54	\|	The Northern Wind	28/05/08

26.	a very stupid question	11:26	\|	Jo	28/05/08

27.	Ridiculous!	11:39	\|	Manolo peaceful man	28/05/08

28.	Journalism tip: first get real evidence, then write an article	11:51	\|	Adam	28/05/08

29.	re #17 `Holling`s unworthy - unable to think Jews are people`	11:52	\|	Colin Wright	28/05/08

30.	he was ugly enough	12:12	\|	mike	28/05/08

31.	`Players edition` was first fully printed	12:39	\|	Manolo peaceful man	28/05/08

32.	The sound and the fury	13:51	\|	Manolo peaceful man	28/05/08

33.	a jew who insuls the jews? I don`t think so	13:54	\|	Joey	28/05/08

34.	Hitler was a jew..	13:55	\|	northern neighbor	28/05/08

35.	No Hamlet Please	13:56	\|	Ronnie Wolman	28/05/08

36.	Sheikh Spier	14:29	\|	Pierre	28/05/08

37.	Northern Neighbor	14:32	\|	Maral	28/05/08

38.	To Pierre and the Gaddaffi`s	14:42	\|	Maral	28/05/08

39.	Knowing the dread I used to face	14:43	\|	Chris Linthwaite	28/05/08

40.	pitifully white pride	14:45	\|	Ben	28/05/08

41.	The secret `shakesperian` code revealed	15:01	\|	Manolo peaceful man	28/05/08

42.	as I recall	15:09	\|	curious george	28/05/08

43.	TRUE POEMS NEVER HAVE SELFISH LOVES	15:10	\|	ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU	28/05/08

44.	Thanks Maral I don`t think any of us would have understood	15:14	\|	x-ray	28/05/08

45.	Afraid of women, lightweight? I`m not surprised	15:15	\|	x-ray	28/05/08

46.	#45 x-ray	15:37	\|	Chris Linthwaite	28/05/08

47.	BECAUSE I TRULY CANT HATE ANYONE BECAUSE OF MY CREATION.	15:44	\|	ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU	28/05/08

48.	to jew	15:44	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

49.	Margie: unable to think Jews are people	15:46	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

50.	afraid of women?	15:50	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

51.	Shakespeare was an Arab	16:43	\|	conspirate	28/05/08

52.	Marranos (Secret Jews)	16:56	\|	Cyasher	28/05/08

53.	Einstein was an Arab by name Eben Zuber	17:07	\|	d	28/05/08

54.	Jacques Pierre - LOL	17:44	\|	JR	28/05/08

55.	SO WHAT	17:47	\|	JOJO	28/05/08

56.	outsider	18:03	\|	Di, the doubter	28/05/08

57.	Oh?	18:08	\|	Jim	28/05/08

58.	Hollings	18:22	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	28/05/08

59.	he was a zulu warrior	18:38	\|	frenz	28/05/08

60.	sense of humour	18:49	\|	aline	28/05/08

61.	strangley Shakesperian	18:55	\|	Ben	28/05/08

62.	Repy to #2 Lakshmi`s Query	19:33	\|	Avi & Ravi	28/05/08

63.	No he was Arab Moore Shake Zpeare	19:55	\|	Hakeem	28/05/08

64.	Lakshmi	19:58	\|	H	28/05/08

65.	cut to the chase	20:05	\|	curious george	28/05/08

66.	curious George	20:17	\|	Connie	28/05/08

67.	Chris Linthwaite	20:22	\|	Connie	28/05/08

68.	to connie	20:36	\|	curious george	28/05/08

69.	Curious George	20:55	\|	Connie	28/05/08

70.	Margie, you`re such a killjoy	21:41	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

71.	frenz, I think you may be on to something	21:42	\|	hollingsworth	28/05/08

72.	And Olmert is an Egyptian drag queen	21:46	\|	Shahid	28/05/08

73.	#41 Manole peaceful man	22:04	\|	Jim	28/05/08

74.	#67 Connie	22:27	\|	Chris Linthwaite	28/05/08

75.	# 57 Jim..Oh?	22:35	\|	KATHY	28/05/08

76.	# 50 holingsworth..You Know Something, One Of My Elderly Uncles	22:39	\|	KATHY	28/05/08

77.	Kathy Hollingsworth might be elderly but he`s no gentleman	00:03	\|	x-ray	29/05/08

78.	there is no mention of lokshen	00:46	\|	rich	29/05/08

79.	Surely flawed or else self damaging?	01:06	\|	Faraz	29/05/08

80.	her name was Gittel	01:08	\|	g	29/05/08

81.	to connie	03:04	\|	curious george	29/05/08

82.	Shakespeare was a Muslim African immigrant	04:31	\|	Just believe this	29/05/08

83.	einstein was persian	05:02	\|	mike honcho	29/05/08

84.	flunking barmitzvah	06:29	\|	chelemer	29/05/08

85.	Shakespeare and Curious George	07:04	\|	Connie	29/05/08

86.	Whats next? Gandhi is an Indian Jew?	08:53	\|	Krishna	29/05/08

87.	Shakespeare	08:57	\|	Bob Hinkel	29/05/08

88.	`Bill` was just a briton and a writer	10:55	\|	Manolo peaceful man	29/05/08

89.	jews has had nothig to do with Spain `grandeur`	11:17	\|	Manolo	29/05/08

90.	Not any evidence of that	11:34	\|	Manolo	29/05/08

91.	#37 Maral..Funny you should say that.	14:37	\|	KATHY	29/05/08

92.	# 19 hala.Thanks for the reminder about Christopher Marlow	14:43	\|	KATHY	29/05/08

93.	#7 hollingsworth..About the antecedents of Shakespeare	14:59	\|	KATHY	29/05/08

94.	the IN FOLIO unpublished works	16:14	\|	Manolo peaceful man	29/05/08

95.	True, KATHY	21:21	\|	hollingsworth	29/05/08

96.	Who?	22:54	\|	Will	29/05/08

97.	#52 Cyasher (Marranos (Secret Jews)Yes,Yes,And	02:06	\|	....	30/05/08

98.	A british dictator suport jews	12:13	\|	Manolo peaceful man	30/05/08

99.	Isabel I de Trastámara -the queen who expelled sephardics	12:21	\|	Manolo peaceful man	30/05/08

100.	Manolo	14:33	\|	hollingsworth	30/05/08

101.	# 95 hollingsworth..Remember Henery Though!	20:09	\|	KATHY	30/05/08

102.	Let`s end it	20:31	\|	hollingsworth	30/05/08

103.	Thank you, KATHY	00:12	\|	hollingsworth	31/05/08

104.	KATHY (cont.)	00:16	\|	hollingsworth	31/05/08

105.	# 103 & #104 Hollingsworth..They were On Both Sides Barbaric.	18:54	\|	KATHY	01/06/08

106.	"Bloody Mary"	19:59	\|	hollingsworth	01/06/08

107.	# 106 Hollingsworth..Agreed of Course.All I was trying to say was	20:35	\|	KATHY	01/06/08

108.	The church doing well, not!	23:35	\|	hollingworth	01/06/08

109.	hollingworth	01:29	\|	THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT	02/06/08

110.	# 108 Hollingsworth..Now You Are Being Silly.Katkur? Absurd..	16:02	\|	KATHY	02/06/08

111.	KATHY	17:19	\|	hollingsworth	02/06/08

112.	# 111 hello Hollingsworth..If I May about Your Conversion(Hope .	19:55	\|	KATHY	02/06/08

113.	A BONE of CONTENTION	20:47	\|	THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT	02/06/08

114.	whats next that Jesus was a Jew?	00:36	\|	cavemandan	04/06/08

115.	shakespeare not a jewish woman	19:52	\|	meeadhu	31/03/09

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