The Playwright

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Master bard

BY 1604, William shakespeare was the most celebrated playwright in London. He was also the most sought-after, as was the case during the Essex rebellion in 1601. Agents from the earl of Essex asked SHAKESPEARE and his actors to stage a one night only performance of one of the bard's more controversial plays, Richard II, at the Globe Theatre. The actors obliged and performed the play as requested: Uncensored.

​The next morning, the Earl of essex staged a coup attempt against the ailing Queen Elizabeth I. The rebellion failed, and the Earl was beheaded for treason.

Although Shakespeare and his men narrowly escaped the Essex affair with their lives, it was not the first time the playwright ran afoul of the law. Why was the bard's relationship with the English GOVERNMENT so tenuous? What secrets was he hiding? How did he survive for as long as he did?

The truth has been lost to us for more than 400 years. Fortunately, such truths rarely stay buried forever. especially in SHOW BUSINESS.

The Authorship Question

Did William Shakespeare write his own plays? Yes, but recent analyses suggest that he may have received help on his earliest works from an even more mysterious playwright: the very soon to be murdered Christopher marlowe.

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