Research Catalog
Reforging Shakespeare : the story of a theatrical scandal
- Title
- Reforging Shakespeare : the story of a theatrical scandal / Jeffrey Kahan.
- Author
- Kahan, Jeffrey, 1964-
- Publication
- Cranbury, NJ : Associated University Press, 1998.
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Request in advance | PR2950 .K35 1998 | Off-site |
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Details
- Description
- 271 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
- Summary
- Reforging Shakespeare charts the bizarre but true story of William-Henry Ireland, a 17-year-old boy who fooled the academic and theatrical world with his Shakespeare forgeries. At first the forgeries were mundane: legal papers, promissory notes, mortgage deeds, but as each was unquestioningly validated, Ireland grew more bold and bizarre.
- He "found" Shakespeare's lost poems, significantly different versions of Hamlet and King Lear, love letters to his wife, even a lock of Shakespeare's hair! But boldest of all was his "discovery" of a lost play, Vortigern. Theatre Royal Drury Lane offered a lucrative contract for its world premiere. The Duke of Clarence engaged a box; the poet laureate wrote the prologue.
- Supporters filled the house to ensure a positive reception, but as the curtain went up, no one could suspect the disaster that was to ensue.
- Subjects
- Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 > Forgeries
- Theater > England > History > 18th century
- Ireland, W. H (William Henry), 1777-1835 > Stage history
- Ireland, W. H (William Henry), 1777-1835 > Vortigern and Rowena
- Vortigern, active 450 > In literature
- Literary forgeries and mystifications > History > 18th century
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-266) and index.
- Contents
- 1. Background: Vortigern and the Criminal Quill -- 2. The Shakspeare Papers: The Master Plan -- 3. Why Vortigern? -- 4. More Forgeries: The Authentication of Vortigern Continues -- 5. Talbot and Wallis: Two Cases of Blackmail? -- 6. Lies and More Lies: The Truth About the Ireland Family -- 7. Negotiations and the Rewriting of Vortigern -- 8. In Defense of the Realm: The Critics Strike Back -- 9. Prologue to Tragedy -- 10. Opening Night: The Play's the Thing ... -- 11. Aftermath: Confession and Disgrace -- 12. The Legacy of Vortigern -- 13. Postscript.
- ISBN
- 0934223556 (alk. paper)
- LCCN
- 98009200
- OCLC
- 38199337
- ocm38199337
- Owning Institutions
- Columbia University Libraries