Oberon Shakespeare Study Group

  We are pleased to welcome longtime Oberon member Tom Townsend as a guest blogger with his article "Is Shakespeare a Pseudonym?" L. Theil           Oberon member Thomas L. Townsend of Seattle, WA Is Shakespeare a Pseudonym? by Thomas L.Townsend This is not as preposterous a question as we’ll soon see: Thomas Vicars (c1590-c1641), was an early Jacobean vicar, who received a B.A. and subsequently an M.A. after attending Oxford University. (Note 1) Both degrees concentrated in Classical Languages, Greek and Latin.   He became a Vicar. To be clear, all vicars in early Jacobean England were in a difficult position, just as they had been in the Elizabethan era. All vicars, of course, were required to be completely honest all the time. This was not simply a matter of conscience but had also been mandated by the late Queen Elizabeth I. (Note 2) Further, vicars were required to answer to the Ecclesiastic Court. Here’s the situation: The Ecclesiastic Court reported directly to king Ja

Chloe Buse on the set of "The Earl of Oxford's March -- Remixed!" Indiana-based writer/actor Greg Buse won the 2020 Oxfordie for a twerky, little, rap video, "The Earl of Oxford's March -- Remixed!" ,  produced by Candy Bank Films in Bloomington, Indiana. Julie Bianchi, chair of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship's "Who Wrote Shakespeare?" video-contest committee, announced the $1000 award on October 2, 2020  at the SOF virtual Shakespeare Authorship Symposium, broadcast from the August Family Vinyards in Napa County, California. Buse said, "I was watching the symposium live, along with my family members who are in the video, and all of us were thrilled!" "The Earl of Oxford's March -- Remixed!" When not working his main hustle as Indiana University presidential speechwriter -- crafting the message for IU President Michael McRobbie -- Buse wrote and performed the Oxfordian rap along with family cast members: spouse Nata

In lieu of its annual conference, the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship will host a free online symposium on October 2-3, 2020. The symposium will be live-streamed on the SOF YouTube channel from the Ben August winery in Napa, California. SOF says: "The Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Tom Regnier, past president of the SOF and Oxfordian of the Year 2016, and will continue the Oxfordian Centennial celebrations. Join Master of Ceremonies Steven Sabel -- host of the SOF “Don’t Quill the Messenger” podcast -- as the webcast convenes on Friday afternoon and evening, October 2, 4:00–6:00 pm Pacific (7:00–9:00 pm Eastern), and reconvenes Saturday, October 3, 9:00 am–5:00 pm Pacific (12:00–8:00 pm Eastern)." The symposium will be presented free online with $2500 in funds donated in memory of Tom Regnier from refunded registrations for the SOF 2020 Ashland, OR conference cancelled due to Covid-19. We are proud that Oberon chair Richard Joyrich, MD, was a contributor to the event.

Frank Lawler at work in his Seattle office on the English translation of Sous  le Masque de "William Shakespeare", William Stanley Vie Comte de Derby (1918) by Abel Lefranc.  Just kidding! This photo is Frank Lawler in his role as  Nicholas II  in  Last Days of the Tsars   at Stimson-Green Mansion in Seattle through March 25, 2020. Photo credit: Joe Iano By guest writer Frank Lawler In 1918, a fascinating, yet under-appreciated and rarely mentioned work on the Shakespeare authorship question was published in Paris. Sous le Masque de “William Shakespeare”, William Stanley Vie Comte de Derby  (1918) was written by Abel Lefranc, Professor at the Collège de France . Professor Lefranc waded into the authorship debate at a time when the only alternative candidates were, essentially, Francis Bacon and Roger Manners. Yet adherents to these theories were already being venomously dismissed by the Stratfordian establishment: "The Baconian case constantly tends to n