Chronology of Shakespeare's Plays - Oxfordian
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The precise chronology of Shakespeare's plays as they were first written is impossible to determine, as there is no authoritative record and many of the plays were performed many years before they were published. In fact, many of Shakespeare's earliest works were published anonymously, or remained unpublished until the First Folio (1623). This lack of information, along with other seeming discrepancies in Shakespeare's historical record, has helped give rise to the Shakespeare Authorship Question. The leading candidate for Shakespeare authorship, aside from Shakespeare of Stratford himself, is Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Scholars and researchers who favour the Oxford candidacy are called Oxfordians.
A number of orthodox scholars, including A.R. Cairncross, Peter Alexander and Prof. Karl Elze, as well as most Oxfordian researchers, dissent from the generally accepted Stratfordian chronology and have reconstructed the plays' relative chronology by various means, including contemporary allusions and records of performance, entries in the Stationers' Register, dates of publication as reflected on the title pages of individual plays, a 1598 list of many of Shakespeare's plays then extant by Francis Meres, visceral impressions, and studies of Oxford's writing style over time, in addition to his education, travels, theatrical background and personal relationships.[1]
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[edit] Oxfordian Theory
A basic proposal of the Oxfordian argument is the theory that many of the plays regarded as "late plays" or "collaborations" were actually reworkings of Oxford's earlier plays, or were revised by other writers after Oxford's death (1604). While many Stratfordian scholars (see Shakespeare Authorship) have adopted a generally accepted chronology, most dates continue to be debated and all dates should be taken as highly speculative.Taking into account the Oxfordian Theory of Shakespeare Authorship, the following chronology represents a minority alternative to standard Stratfordian dating.[2]
[edit] Oxfordian Chronology of Shakespeare's Works
(Dates in parentheses indicate the date of first publication only.)
- (1562), "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet", by Oxford, under the pseudonym Arthur Brooke.
- (1567), Ovid’s Metamorphoses, collaboration with Oxford's uncle and tutor, Arthur Golding.
- 1574, Famous Victories of Henry Fifth, early version of Henry IV, Part 1 & 2, and Henry V.
- 1577, revised 1594 (1623) Comedy of Errors' earlier version called “A Historie of Error".
- If this is the same as the play entitled "The Night of Errors," it was also performed on 28 December 1594.
- 1577, revised 1593 (1594) Titus Andronicus .
- 1577, (1609) Pericles Prince of Tyre. Completed in 1607 by another hand, probably George Wilkins.
- 1578, editor and collaborator (1609) Euphues: The Anatomy of Wyt. (According to Ogburn, by the late 1570s, Oxford is regarded as the unofficial head of the Euphuist faction of poets.)
- 1578, (1623) Cymbeline; earlier version called "An History of the Cruelties of A StepMother"
- 1579, revised in 1602 (1623) All's Well That Ends Well; earlier version called “An History of the Second Helene"
- 1579, (1623) The Taming of the Shrew; earlier version called “A Morall of the Marriage of Mynde and Measure”
- 1579, revised in 1590 (1623) Love's Labour's Lost, earlier version called "A Maske of Amazons and a Maske of Knights”
- 1579, (1623) Merchant of Venice; earlier version called “The Jew”
- 1580, revised 1592 (1844) Sir Thomas More
- Reputedly written by Anthony Munday, it is theorized to have been transcribed by Munday on behalf of Oxford, his employer. At this time Munday served as Oxford's "writing secretary".
- 1581, revised 1594 (1597) Romeo and Juliet
- 1581, revised 1592 (1602) Richard III
- 1581, revised 1590 (1595) Henry VI, Part III
- 1583, revised in 1599 (1600) Much Ado About Nothing
- 1584, revised 1590 (published 1598) Henry VI, Part I
- Stationers' Register on 25 February 1598.
- 1585, revised 1598 (published 1600) Henry VI, Part 2
- 1586, revised in 1599 (1600) Henry V
- 1588, revised in 1599 (1623) As You Like It
- Stationers' Register in August 1600
- 1589, revised in 1599 (1623) Julius Caesar
- Mentioned by Thomas Platter in 1599.
- 1589, revised in 1601 (1603) Hamlet
- Stationers' Register in July 1602 describes it as “lately acted.”
- 1589 (published 1600) Henry VI, Part II
- Parodied by Robert Greene in 1592.
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1590, revised in 1596 (1622) King John
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1591, revised 1604 (1622) Othello
- Performed November 1604.
- Stationers' Register in November 1607.
- 1592, revised in 1602 (1623) Twelfth Night
- 1593 (1623) Taming of the Shrew
- 1593, (1623) Henry VIII (probably revised in 1612 by John Fletcher)
- 1594 (1623) Two Gentlemen of Verona
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1594 (1598) Love's Labour's Lost
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1594, revised in 1603 (1623) Macbeth; revised again in 1615 by Thomas Middleton.
- 1594, revised 1603 (1608) King Lear, earlier version called "The True Chronicle History of King Leir"
- 1594, (1623) "The Winter's Tale; earlier version called "A Winter’s Night Pastime".
- 1595 (1597) Richard II
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1595 (1600) A Midsummer Night's Dream
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1596 (1600) The Merchant of Venice
- 1597 Henry IV, Part I
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays.
- 1594-1597 (1603?) Love's Labour's Won
- In Francis Meres' 1598 list of Shakespeare plays. In Christopher Hunt's August 1603 booklist. A lost play.
- 1598 (1602) Merry Wives of Windsor,
- 1601 (1609) Troilus and Cressida
- Stationers' Register in February 1603.
- 1602 (1623) Measure for Measure
- 1603 (1623) Coriolanus
- 1603 (1623) Antony and Cleopatra
- Stationers' Register in May 1608.
- 1603, (1623) Timon of Athens, completed in 1607 by another hand, possibly Thomas Middleton.
- Stationers' Register in May 1608.
- 1603 (1623) The Tempest
- Unknown start date (1728) Cardenio (possibly completed in 1612 by John Fletcher)
- Was performed in 1613. Published only in an adaptation by Lewis Theobald entitled Double Falshood; essentially a lost play.
- Unknown start date (1634) The Two Noble Kinsmen (possibly completed by John Fletcher).
The following plays have been attributed to Shakespeare but are in fact of different or uncertain authorship:
- 1600 (1600) Sir John Oldcastle
- Philip Henslowe's diary records it was actually written by Anthony Munday, Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye and Robert Wilson in collaboration.
- 1604 (1605) The London Prodigal
- Acted by Shakespeare's company and published under his name, but the style is not his.
- 1605 (1608) A Yorkshire Tragedy completed by Middleton
- Acted by Shakespeare's company and published under his name, but the style is not his. More probably by Thomas Middleton.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Oxfordian
- Shakespeare Oxford Society home page
- Joseph Sobran's Shakespeare Library
- The Shakespeare Fellowship
- Dr. Michael Delahoyde's summary of Oxfordian theory
