Anne Shakespeare: A digression

I have no doubt that Anne Shakespeare is the real author of the works attributed to her husband, William. Neither do I doubt that it was a conscious decision by Anne that William should be accorded all of the honours that went with (and continue to go with) this recognition, as detailed in my book “Shake-speare: The Hidden Author”, where I presented the evidence for such a theory. However, leading on from that discovery, my second book (of which I have just completed the first draft of some 140000 words), and in it I am going to detail what I see as Anne’s driving philosophy (i know, I know, what a huge undertaking!). And I also understand that such an analysis can really only touch on the bare outlines of such a mammoth task. But I am confident that the sketch I am making of her philosophy will be taken up by future (and present) scholars because what uncovering Anne as the author has done is to change the whole dynamics of “Shakespearean scholarship” through placing a female at the centre of the plays, poems and Sonnets.

What have I discovered by delving into her philosophical view on life? What has her lived experience shown us not only about her self but also of the human condition? There are two major elements to what I have discovered; firstly, at the centre of her world view is her feminine voice and this is embedded in her views of the world; her views on love, nature (both the natural world and human), free will, humanism and religion. But these are all a part of what constitutes how she views the self; a self that navigates all of these elements of her world view. Secondly, Anne presents us with those elements of self that constitutes the human being; the body, the spirit and the soul that make up the self.

More to come.