Well, what's in a name?, as somebody said.


It's certainly a very American attitude to be against aristocracy.   But the fact remains that an aristocracy of talent does exist. And that particularly in previous centuries, education was not universal by a long shot. There is no proof that Shakespeare even attended school--scholars just assume that since there was a school where he was growing up, that he was a student.

He bequeathed no plays--(perhaps writing plays was considered downscale at that time)------but also not even any books.

Whoever wrote the Shakespeare canon shows a detailed knowledge of, among other things, goings on in European courts. It's never been established that Shakespeare ever travelled outside England. Neville was ambassador to France, and travelled widely.

It's not, to use the favorite vernacular of the current US leadership, a "slam-dunk" that Neville was Shakespeare. But it sure is an intriguing theory. I will definitely be buying the book when it comes out--next month I think.

Still waiting for actual evidence against the theory.