30 Great Myths about Shakespeare

THE AUTHORS Laurie Maguire is Professor of English at the University of Oxford, tutorial fellow at Magdalen College, and the author or editor of seven books. She is a regular theater reviewer for the TLS and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA. Emma Smith is tutorial fellow at Hertford College, Oxford. She is the author or editor of six books, a regular reviewer for the TLS, and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA. The authors have previously collaborated together on articles on Middleton and Shakespeare and on graduate courses at the University of Oxford.

"Laurie Maguire and Emma Smith's 30 Great Myths About Shakespeare is a thought-provoking myth-buster ... It entertains the reader with new material and detective-like connections ... A huge amount of research, work and selection lies behind this book, and it pays off. Not just students, but every academic should take note." (Times Literary Supplement, 29 November 2013) "Lively, enjoyable and sensible throughout." (London Review of Books, 5 December 2013) "The myth that Macbeth is jinxed in the theatre, is, says Maguire, a 'self-fulfilling prophecy based on a hoax.' And so it is, and delightfully so, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why."  (Irish Examiner, 5 June 2013). "This is a good book by trustworthy Shakespeareans ... The individual myths, structured into moderate-length essays (thus you do not have to read them in order), can be excellent for discussions in the classroom or lecture-room. Though the book obviously targets readership already into Shakespeare, every novice will enjoy finding satisfactory answers to the myths they are bothered with." (Huffington Post, 24  April 2013) "The value of this little book lies in its ceaseless exploration." (Times Higher Education, 7 March 2013) "Even if you know Shakespeare well, this delightful book will offer thought-provoking new angles." (The Scotsman, 2 March 2013)"A book that manages the rare feat of exercising scholarly caution...while still providing a highly entertaining portrait of the man himself." (Sunday Times, 24 February 2013)

• Introduction 1 Myth 1 Shakespeare was the most popular writer of his time 6Myth 2 Shakespeare was not well educated 11Myth 3 Shakespeare’s plays should be performed in Elizabethan dress 18Myth 4 Shakespeare was not interested in having his plays printed 26Myth 5 Shakespeare never traveled 34Myth 6 Shakespeare’s plays are politically incorrect 40Myth 7 Shakespeare was a Catholic 47Myth 8 Shakespeare’s plays had no scenery 54Myth 9 Shakespeare’s tragedies are more serious than his comedies 60Myth 10 Shakespeare hated his wife 66Myth 11 Shakespeare wrote in the rhythms of everyday speech 72Myth 12 Hamlet was named after Shakespeare’s son 80Myth 13 The coarse bits of Shakespeare are for the groundlings; the philosophy is for the upper classes 86Myth 14 Shakespeare was a Stratford playwright 94Myth 15 Shakespeare was a plagiarist 99Myth 16 We don’t know much about Shakespeare’s life 106Myth 17 Shakespeare wrote alone 113Myth 18 Shakespeare’s sonnets are autobiographical 119Myth 19 If Shakespeare were writing now, he’d be writing forHollywood 125 Myth 20 The Tempest was Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage 130Myth 21 Shakespeare had a huge vocabulary 137Myth 22 Shakespeare’s plays are timeless 143Myth 23 Macbeth is jinxed in the theater 150Myth 24 Shakespeare did not revise his plays 156Myth 25 Boy actors played women’s roles 163Myth 26 Shakespeare’s plays don’t work as movies 169Myth 27 Yorick’s skull was real 175Myth 28 Queen Elizabeth loved Shakespeare’s plays 183Myth 29 Shakespeare’s characters are like real people 190Myth 30 Shakespeare didn’t write Shakespeare 196Coda 202Further Reading 207Index 211