Bryan H. Wildenthal — Early Authorship Doubts: The Oxfordian Connections

This lecture explores some of the dozens of early published doubts about the authorship of the Shakespearean works — doubts forming an integral part of Shakespeare’s own time and culture. Many suggest the author was an aristocrat. Some point specifically to Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford.

This talk was presented on October 3, 2020, during the SOF Online Shakespeare Authorship Symposium.

Bryan H. Wildenthal, Professor of Law Emeritus, Thomas Jefferson School of Law (San Diego), earned his A.B. and J.D. at Stanford University. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law in the spring of 2021. He is the author of a law textbook and many articles in leading law reviews, including one cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 and 2019. His most recent book is Early Shakespeare
Authorship Doubts (2019). He served as Trustee (2016-20) and Vice President (2018-20) of the SOF, and serves currently as SOF Website Content Editor.