Shakespeare Was Actually a Black, Jewish, Female Poet, New Book Claims

New York Post ^ | Rachel del Guidice

[nickcarraway]

The author of a new book about William Shakespeare is claiming that the works of the famed playwright were actually written by a black, Jewish woman. The book, The Real Shakespeare: Emilia Bassano Willoughby by Irene Coslet, argues that Shakespeare was actually Emilia Bassano, a dark-skinned Jewish woman who was an English poet during the Elizabethan period. The Amazon description for the book, which says it is set to be released on March 30, questions if Shakespeare was indeed “a white man from Stratford.”

“Debate still rages over the identity of the most beloved poet of all time and ‘father’ of the English-speaking world,” the description reads. “Generations of researchers have tried to dismantle the myth of the Stratford man. Now, in this intriguing and well-documented book, Irene Coslet conclusively demonstrates that Shakespeare was not a man, but a woman: a dark-skinned lady, of Jewish origin, born into a family of Court musicians from Venice, and the mother of the English-speaking world. Her name was Emilia Bassano.”

According to the description, Coslet’s conclusions are based on “re-examination of often-overlooked historical documents, shrewd, chilling, and profound, this volume offers extensive evidence that Emilia was the author of the canon.” The description also says the book is not just about the debate over to whom the writings of Shakespeare should be attributed, but “about the condition of women at the time Shakespeare was writing. It explains that feminism already existed in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. It reveals not only that Shakespeare was a woman, but also that she defended women. It reintegrates Emilia in the context of the time, for example, by exploring the relationship between Emilia and Queen Elizabeth I.”

[Fledermaus]

I relate Shakespeare to Betty Crocker. Just a face.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Thank you for the information.

I now know to not take anything you say seriously.

[Fledermaus]

Ouch.

Never took you for a jerk.

My bad.

[SJackson]

Somewhat old "news", but worth a book I suppose. At best historical fiction.

Emilia Bassano was born to an English Protestant mother and a Venetian father likely of sephardic Venetian heritage. Which would explain a darker complexion than her English contemporaries. Her parents both court musicians, Emilia a talented poet in her own right. The first woman to publish a book, poetry, in England and often referred to as the first feminist. Was she Shakespeare, I'll leave that alone, but her father coming from the Sephardic community in Venice she could have been the source of Shakespeare's commentary on Jews. Jews being banned from England, Shakespeare who I don't believe ever left England, likely never met a Jew. Her father died when whe was 7 surname from Dutchess Catherine Willoughby, who either fostered and raised her, or worked on the Dutchess' household staff. Emelia being a courtier some have suggested she may have had an affair with Shakespeare, no evidence of that. Equally, probably more likely, two well known poets may simply have been acquainted. No evidence of either. A friend, who told Shakespeare about Jews and her family home of Venice, not a very exciting book topic.

[Cronos]

a few points:

1. we do know that her mother was English and her father was Venetian

2. we do NOT know if her father was or was not of Sephardic heritage.

3. the “her father coming from the Sephardic community in Venice” is speculation. Emilia’s grandfather, Jeronimo was associated with the Sancte Crucis (Holy Cross) Christian monastery in Italy, and the family tree in those early years shows standard Italian Christian roots - that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have Sephardic ancestry, but it doesn’t mean that they weren’t.

4. It does seem clear that they were not crypto-Jews - both in Italy and later in England, the Bassano family lived, married, baptized their children, and were buried in accordance with the Church of England. If they had Jewish roots, they left no paper trail of practicing it

5. Shakespeare probably didn’t meet a Jew — that’s very probable i agree - note that he took his stuff from earlier writings - the Merchant of Venice I believe was taken from a set of stories by Fiorentino. I note thta Marlowe also had a play “the Jew of Malta”

I wouldn’t mind it if the book was positioned as speculation - all of the above is “possible” but positioning it as fact is just incorrect.