Shakespeare Ping List
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.