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History on the Margins: Shakespeare's Forgery in The Landgrave of Hessen … (1596) by Edward Monings in the Early Printed Books Collection of the Warsaw University Library
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Anna Cetera
Published/Copyright:
February 3, 2009
Abstract
The article focuses on the eventful history of the copy of Sir Edward Monings The Landgraue of Hessen his princelie receiuing of her Maiesties embassador (1596) held by the Warsaw University Library, which includes manuscript notes and two signatures, allegedly by William Shakespeare, all eventually identified as an uninvestigated example of William Henry Ireland's (1777–1835) forgery. In an attempt to reconstruct the circumstances of the falsification, and account for its puzzling success, the article examines the relation of the notes to the content of the book, as well as the overall historical context constituted by the spectacular baptism of Elizabeth, daughter of Landgrave Moritz (1572–1632) der Gelehrte, held in Kassel in the summer 1596, and the intriguing references to the diplomatic scandal caused by Sir Edward Clinton, English ambassador sent then to Hessen. By emphasizing the stunning aptitude of the interpolated text, and the fragility of material evidence constraining our interpretation of the past, the article encourages both the reexamination of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, and the reflection over the ever-tantalizing gaps in Shakespeare's biography. The article points also to the intensity of the 16th century relations of Hessen and England which occasioned many valid cultural exchanges and, as it seems, provided a fertile ground for spinning a most compelling narrative of literary and historical imposture.
Published Online: 2009-02-03
Published in Print: 2007-September
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