Did Shakespeare Have an Affair With Queen Elizabeth?

Though some call it a conspiracy, notable thinkers from Mark Twain to Sigmund Freud have been convinced that the real Shakespeare was not the man from Stratford-Upon-Avon. Future videos will continue to present evidence suggesting that "William Shakespeare" was actually the pen name of Edward De Vere, a notorious courtier who served Queen Elizabeth and was said by his contemporaries to have been the greatest living writer of comedies.

#shakespeare #howtoreadshakespeare #howtoread #shakespeareauthorship #shakespeareauthorshipquestion #shakespeareconspiracy #shakespeareauthorshipconspiracy #shakespearewasawoman #edwarddevere #oxfordianism #history #education #romeoandjuliet #hamlet #merchantofvenice #theater #school #shorts #alexanderwaugh #shakespearewasawoman #robertprechter #oxfordsvoices

[CulinarySpy]

This is impressive - well done Bob Prechter and thank you again Phoebe!

I agree with Phoebe, Oxford's Voices is so thoroughly researched and really does come up with a massive body of well-referenced evidence. Anyone who dismisses 'Oxford's Voices' without reading it can be dismissed without further ado.

[BruceKoller]

Phoebe, I just want to second Bob's comments at the end about your positive energy and your contributions to this topic. I find it a fascinating mystery and I've learned so much from studying it about the history of the times and how people back then thought and acted. When the dam finally breaks, everyone (even the Stratfordians) will have a ball exploring the mystery and I believe your efforts are helping bring that time closer.

[RockMackay]

Also, if Henry Wriothesley was not a Tudor prince, then why when he committed treason against the crown, was he rewarded with land and money. He lived out the rest of his days in wealth and peace. A strange fate for someone who was guilty of treason. Why is it called the Essex rebellion and not the Southampton rebellion. Also, the Queen travelled to his school to see him graduate, what other young man did she do this for? Every work of Shake-Speare was dedicated to Henry Wriothesley up until the rebellion, then his name is buried. A deal was struck.

[thormusique]

I am truly gobsmacked. Thank you again for sharing this work. I absolutely have to get Oxford’s Voices. I’ve long thought there must still be an extant body of Oxford’s work, so this is such a treat. And what scholarship! I’m also completely chuffed that you mentioned Dowland at the end. I’m a guitarist and lutenist, my period of speciality is Elizabethan (in terms of the lute), and my hero is John Dowland. Even though I know full well just how great a lutenist he was, I’ve never believed he’d composed all those great tunes, the lyrics of which are brilliant. (Aside: I love your use of ‘Can She Excuse’). So I was thrilled that you mention this. In any case, you’ve now given me plenty of catching-up to do. You’ve made my year, cheers!

[Northcountry]

How far this little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world (Adapted)

[tedwong]

What an amazing story 'Oxford Voices' tells! It is a tale that defies imagination, and is only brought to light by Robert Prechter's epic endeavour.

[tomditto]

Keep the cut aways coming. A brilliant addition to the talking head format.

[martinroberts]

There is a 'Bridal Song' in 'Two Noble Kinsmen' (by Shakespeare/John Fletcher - more likely the latter as sole author) which includes a verse ostensibly about Spring that opens with: 'Primrose, first-born child of Ver'. Given the proclivity toward 'double-entendres' among authors of the period, the entire stanza may be read as alluding to the 'little trophy' of an infant Oxford, consistent with the hypothesis of a relationship between the 17th earl and QE1.

[s.r.osborn]

Love your work, Phoebe and Bob....bless.

[alainaaugust]

So what was Elizabeth doing in the early 1570s? Did “another man” come into her life? Did international matters, eg, the whole marriage to Spain thing, influence her behavior? Or was it psychological? Perhaps, the more she experienced Oxford’s love, the more terrified she became. Men on thrones chopped off women’s heads. Repeatedly. It may have been subconscious, but how could she not fear that? Thanks for this brilliant series.

[ronroffel]

Thanks for another intriguing video with Robert. His book - long though it be - is well-researched and has so much information it is an encyclopedia of the English Literary Renaissance.

I am with Robert in that I am agnostic about the queen having any affairs, let alone with de Vere. I believe she would not have allowed herself to be pregnant since she was accused of being a royal bastard (RB). During the five years she was under house arrest by her half-sister Mary, there was the real possibility that she would have been assassinated because she had so little power at that time. We envision her as someone who was all-powerful, but that was not always true.

Her hold on the throne was precarious for her entire reign. Catholics wanted her dead or at least deposed in favour of a Catholic ruler. Rebels at home and across the sea were constantly plotting against her, not the least of whom was the King of Spain. The Pope excommunicated her and some of her Puritan members of Parliament wanted her to tighten her grip on the church of England and make the kingdom into a stronger police state than it already was. Any RBs would have made things worse.

I believe that some of de Vere's earlier poems were possibly that of a courtier who had a dalliance with the queen, but many younger nobles of the time also wrote flattering poems and dedications to her. So, his amorous verse to her may have been either wishful thinking by a young man infatuated with her or merely something other poets were doing at the time; imagining an affair with the most glamorous and most powerful woman in the kingdom. Even Penelope Rich didn't have the same allure the queen had. The fact that she was single made things more enticing.

However, Robert presents compelling evidence that she may have had an affair with de Vere that deserves closer scrutiny. Yet, I cannot escape the feeling that much of it is fantasy and young poets wanting to have an affair with her. Think of the millions of teens and young adults today who imagine affairs with the latest musical or movie superstars and you get the general idea. But would she have had any children by him? Would she have risked all by giving birth to an RB after she spent so many years with that hanging over her own head?

To me, the logistics of keeping any RBs hidden make them a near-impossibility because it would have taken at least 100 people to have kept any single RBs secret. And who would have monitored them but another 100 people. Then those people would have had to be monitored, and so on. Given she had hand maidens and Maids of Honour who were not as discrete as needed for such a secret - Anne Vavasour comes to mind - would she have allowed herself to become pregnant? She would also have thought ahead to the possibility that the RBs could have eventually been exposed for who they were or when they were of the age of majority and capable of plotting to take the throne by force therefore it is likely that there were no RBs. Both scenarios would have caused chaos in England, causing almost as much strife as the Wars of the Roses.

Those are just some of the reasons I believe she never had affairs which produced any RBs. As for the numerous sexual alliances with nobles like de Vere and Dudley, that is another story.

I will comment on a line Robert quotes at 6:35. William Cecil was known to have had an extensive network of spies rivalling that of Sir Francis Walsingham the queen's official spymaster, so the reference to Argus could have been directed at him since he was constantly spying on de Vere. He hired spies to accompany de Vere while he traveled the continent which may be the subject of Sonnet 61: "Is it thy spirit [spy] that thou sends't from thee / So farre from home into my deeds to prye / To find out shames and idle hours in me...?". I believe this sonnet was written in the years 1575-76 while he was on the continent. The date of publication of the Gorgeous Gallery fits this idea since the events would have been topical for the courtiers who made up the audience of the collection.

Robert, however, reads into the line a preposition. He reads: "... forbid us [to] meet" (6:37) whereas the line reads "forbid us meat" which could easily be an allusion to the time when William Cecil wanted to pass legislation forbidding everyone from eating red meat several times per week. If I recall, in Hamlet Polonius was called a "fish monger" which matches this allusion. That being said, the line could mean both ideas.

The problem with getting to the bottom of this is the fact there are no personal letters by de Vere on his personal life which would give us insight into what happened between him and the queen. All we have is innuendo, court gossip and the writing which may or may not be about an actual affair.

You and Robert have done an excellent job presenting a case for one with de Vere. This video will require at least three more views before I can gather it all in.

One final note. The "turtle" in the poem The Phoenix and the Turtle (22:19) is a turtle dove, not a marine reptile. Many people get this confused.

[pbredder]

I found this very interesting. I need to get off my duff and get started with "the voices" directly.

[michaelstepniewski]

Oxford's 'Shakespeare' will always be the greatest, but now you know the rest of the story! (as Paul Harvey used to say).

[benc]

She dallied with many, but left all and sundry in the dust, and her closest advisers/Court no doubt made a din and cry about Oxford. Love this format, Prechter is for me right at the tip of the spear in this field.

[joschmoyo]

There is a common thread, a golden thread that seems to get only summary treatment by most. But to those who KNOW the white Queen and love her, there is a vital transcendent sub text to this drama. Minerva, Athena, Brittania. She has many names. The lady of the lake.
No man who has seen her remains unchanged by her beauty. Her hair a vibrant Rose gold in colour.
The Bards all speak of her with a reverence that is absolutely real. It is not imagined. She is a real person. More importantly she represents and lives as a true warrior Queen. She is both revered and feared by her enemies.
If you need a recent description of her she is Galadriel. Have I met her ?
Yes. I have known her for a very long time. She is and has always been the constant in the life and legends of England. The true and everlasting, immortal White Goddess.
Highly recomend the book by Robert Graves. An excellent primer in the code language of the Bards.

[Nope.Unknown]

Totally just a suggestion as I know you are both very busy people...BUT how incredibly wonderful would it be if you made this a limited run podcast - Oxford's Voices with Bob & Phoebe!

[dougr.]

Did he ever!?! Sure! Every time he had a performance at court!! That was quite the affair!! lol😂

[pbredder]

Regarding the Tudor Rose Theory, , I recommend to Bob Prechter, the second part of David Shakespeare's discussion of this possibility:


In Particular, , toward the end, . when poems by Thomas Nash and George Peale are considered. The Shakespeare Sonnet poems mentioned are also important to consider. It is likely that all of these poems were the work of Edward de Vere

[nativevirginian]

I think “Shakespeare” was Oxford, both Sydneys, and Henry Neville, he was in ER’s government, and was a friend of Southampton. They were in the Tower together after the Essex Rebellion.

[BrambleWood]

Richard jones, published "greensleeves" in 1580, any connection ?