Much Ado About Shakespeare

Nearly four centuries after William Shakespeare’s death almost every fact about his life has become an object of questioning – his faith, appearance, sexuality and the most controversial of all, the authorship of Shakespeare’s works. Supporters of the idea that someone other than the glover’s son from Stratford-upon-Avon wrote plays attributed to him, gained much of a public attention, but most of the literary historians turn this theories down as groundless.

Prof. James Shapiro of Columbia University, whose book “Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? “ has been recently published, blames the act of reconstructing Shakespeare’s biography on the basis of the motives from his plays for the chaos existing around the authorship. People employing this method started reasoning that William Shakespeare, as a man of humble origins, couldn’t have been conversant with the courtly life therefore he couldn’t have written plays containing royal affairs. Other evidence is a low number of mundane documents of his, all of them, especially his last will which does not mention literary works, written in an absolutely non-poetic way.

American writer Delia Bacon came up with a multiple authorship of Shakespeare’s works consisting of Lord Francis Bacon, Sir Walter Raleigh and Edmund Spenser. Of all three Francis Bacon was the most probable to be the real Bard, though now scholars don’t take him into consideration. Among suspects we can also find Henry Wriothesley – 3^rd Earl of Southampton, William Stanley – 6^th Earl of Derby, Mary Sidney – one of the first successful female writers of Elizabethan times, Queen Elizabeth I herself, Christopher Marlowe and Edward de Vere – 17^th Earl of Oxford.

When it comes to the Marlovian theory, the advocates are not discouraged by the fact that the aforesaid Marlowe died before most of Shakespeare’s plays were published – on the contrary, they believe he had faked his death and started writing under the pen name of William Shakespeare. Those who found this idea worthwhile argue that stylometry researches showed a great similarity between both author’s writing, in literal as well as in metaphorical layer. Above that, Shakespeare plays contain large number of references and allusions to Marlowe’s works. But then again Shakespeare might have been Marlowe’s fan.

Thomas Looney, father of the Oxfordian theory, chose Edward de Vere as a worthy candidate for the title of ‘the Bard’ relying only on biographical criteria. Earl of Oxford had aristocratic lineage, was familiar with royal court, travelled a lot and in Elizabethan times was recognized as a poet. His biggest flaw is that he died too early - in 1604. Looney’s supporters explain this contradiction with incorrect dating. They believe de Vere must have written some of the plays earlier in his life and left it for his friends who were gradually publishing them after his death. But then “The Tempest” would have to be excluded from the canon, because it was with no doubt created after 1609. And this is not the only scratch on the Oxfordian theory.

The truth is as following: no theory has a proof in a form of testimonies and documents from the people living in the times of Shakespeare. No theory except the one in which Shakespeare is actually the one who wrote Shakespeare’s works. But even though, Shakespeare’s biography still suffers from empty spaces and there where is doubt, there will always be growing conspiracy.

In today’s episode of “What would have happened if…” I’d like to present you a child born from two unusual, yet basic questions.

What would have happened, if the Victorian era never ended?

What would have happened, if the internal combustion engine was never invented and we still had to use steam power?

The answer for both of these questions is simple: STEAMPUNK.

“Everything Jules Verne could have written.

Everything H.G. Wells should have written.

Everything A. Conan Doyle thought of but never published because it was too fantastic.”

Frank Chadwick, 1988

“Wacko Victorian fantasies.”

Whole thing began in the end of 19^th century, when science-fiction writers, inspired by industrialization of cities and technical development, started creating their visions of the future. Unfortunately, they couldn’t take account of yet unknown materials or technologies so their inventions were based on the Victorian knowledge. Their ideas of the 21^st century were surprisingly optimistic, forecasting fast progress of science, which was supposed to make our life easier. Well, it’s true in some parts, but we certainly don’t have flying policemen giving tickets to pilots breaking air traffic regulations or huge machines in schools, which are pouring knowledge to our heads through special headphones (it’s a pity!).

After the cyberpunk literature was born in the eighties of the 20^th century, writer Kevin Wayne Jeter mixed cyberpunk’s dystopian future world and technology with nostalgic, romantic past of steam power and Victorian Era. That new stream of science-fiction was showing the alternate history, located in 19^th century with 21^st century’s technology, BUT made only with materials and energy sources already existing in Victorian Era. And so we have the difference engine instead of the computer. The airship instead of the airplane. Cyborgs, weapons, vehicles, lifts which can take you to the Moon, anything you can possibly imagine is fine, as long as it works by steam power.

“With a crew of drunken pilots, we're the only Airship Pirates”

Of course steampunk movement didn’t content itself with just a couple of books. There are graphic novels about Victorian gentlemen in top hats saving the world (e.g. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”), films using steampunk motives (e.g. “Back to the Future”, “Wild Wild West”), musicians (e.g. Abney Park, Dr Steel), the famous serial’s parody – “Steam Trek”. Even Hayao Miyazaki animated films can be considered partly steampunk (e.g. “Howl’s Moving Castle”). So it wasn’t a surprise when steampunk became a rightful subculture, spread mostly owing to the Goths, always in love with every form of Neo-Victorianism, and Japanese youth, opened to every form of unusual look. For some people steampunk became a way of living, what makes the steampunk conventions unforgettable events.

Do It Yourself.

If you see leather, wood and brass or iron, in the colours of brown and gold, maybe with the motive of gears and cogs, making the impression of an old style fashion – just now you are looking at the steampunk gadgets. What is characteristic for them, it’s that they are almost all hand-made. And making jewellery or sewing Victorian clothes is as easy as pie compared to what a devoted steampunker can make from his computer case or keyboard. However, electrolytic machining, brass cutting, using chemicals, plating, etching etc. are not things you can do at home without special devices, not to mention special training. Therefore if you want a touch of steampunk in your life, let’s stick to the clothes and goggles (there is no steampunk without goggles, remember that).

Lately, there was an exhibition of Steampunk art objects in the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford, held from October 2009 to February 2010. You can see the photos from it on exhibition’s website, first link from the list below.

If I managed to bring you to the Dark Side of the Force, you can visit those sites to learn more about steampunk:

www.steampunkmuseumexhibition.blogspot.com

www.steampunk.republika.pl

www.steampunkmagazine.com

www.ottens.co.uk/gatehouse/gazette

www.thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com

www.steampunkworkshop.com

Dictionary:

Internal combustion engine (silnik o spalaniu wewnętrznym) – engine working by fuel (silnik spalinowy), as opposed to the steam engine which is one of the external combustion engines

Wacko – slang for silly and crazy person; szajbus

Difference engine – the first device, which could have been called “a computer”, invented in 1822 by Charles Babbage; maszyna różnicowa

Airship – aerostat that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers; sterowiec

Gears and cogs – clockwork; koła zębate i tryby

Computer case – the enclosure that contains the main components of a computer; obudowa komputera

Machining – mechanically cutting the material to achieve the desired geometry; obróbka skrawaniem

Plating – method of surface covering in which a metal is deposited on a conductive surface; platerowanie

Etching - process of using strong acid to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in the metal; akwaforta

Classes 1b,2b and 2c1 spent a nice time at the theatre today (18/03/2010) watching the performance by the English Theatre of "The Importance of being Earnest" - the play by Oscar Wilde. You can browse some pictures (including the one with the actors!!!) below.