Shakespeare's+Apocrypha+period+1

=Introduction to Shakespeare's Apocrypha Created by: Madeline Turrini and Megan Wallace=

When Shakespeare died he left behind a mystery in the form of a portfolio full of plays. These plays were known as the Shakespeare Apocrypha. They are also referred to as "the lesser plays," and "the obscure plays."However, no one is sure if Shakespeare actually wrote them.

The Shakespeare Apocrypha consists of three groups:
 * Plays attributed to Shakespeare during the 17th Century, but not included in the First Folio
 * Plays attributed to Shakespeare after the 17th Century
 * The Lost Plays
 * The Hoax

The Plays attributed to Shakespeare during the 17th Century, but not included in the First Folio
The First Folio was the first published collection of Shakespeare's plays. They plays were divided into three categories: the comedies, the tragedies, and the histories. One of the reasons that some plays were not included in the First Folio were as follows:
 * They were possibly not written by Shakespeare, but by someone just using his name to make money.
 * The were possibly collaborations.
 * The plays may only be loosely based on plots created by Shakespeare
 * They may have been written for other theater companies besides The King's Men.

Here's a list of some of the plays:
 * //The Birth of Merlin//
 * //Locrine//
 * //The London Prodigal//
 * //The Puritan//
 * //The Second Maiden's Tragedy//
 * //Sir John Oldcastle//
 * //Thomas Lord Cromwell//
 * //A Yorkshire Tragedy//
 * //Fair Em, the Miller's Daughter of Manchester//
 * //Mucedorus//
 * //The Merry Devil of Edmonton//

Two of the better known plays that fall under this category are //[|Pericles, Prince of Tyre]////,// and //[|Two Noble Kinsmen]//. To learn more about them, click on their hyper links.

The Plays attributed to Shakespeare after the 17th Century
Shakespeare was given credit for these plays after the 17th Century. However, their credibility is very weak, owing to the fact that anyone would have liked to find the final work of William Shakespeare. However, the claims are accepted by many scholars.

Here's a list of some of the plays:
 * //Arden of Faversham//
 * //Edmund Ironside//
 * //Sir Thomas More//

The Lost Plays
The Lost Plays were works that are rumored to have been written by Shakespeare, but have no available text.

Here is a list of the Lost Plays
 * //Love's Labour's Won-// It was supposedly the sequel to one of Shakespeare's comedies, Love's Labour's Lost. However, it is possible that it was just an alternate title for another one of Shakespeare's plays, such as //Much Ado About Nothing, All's Well That Ends Well,// and //The Taming of the Shrew.//
 * //Cardenio-// It was a supposed collaboration of Shakespeare and John Fletcher. It has been claimed that it was an alternate title for //The Second Maiden's Tragedy// and a play not written by Shakespeare called //Double Falsehood.//
 * //Ur-Hamelt-// Many scholars believe that Shakespeare's play //Hamlet// was based off of an earlier play, know referred to as //Ur-Hamlet//. No one is truly sure whether Shakespeare wrote //Ur-Hamlet// or another author did.

The Hoax
William Henry Ireland was a famous forger of Shakespearian documents. Previously, he had forged letters from both Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway. In 1796, Ireland claimed that he had found a lost Shakespearian Play called //Vortigern and Rowena//. Immediately, Irish playwright, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, bought the rights to the play for three-hundred pounds. However, the actor who played Vortigern, John Philip Kemble, became suspicious and realized that the play was a fake, so when the play opened on April 2, 1796, Kemble put so much emphasis on his last line "//and when this solemn mockery is o'er,"// the audience realized that he was referring to the play itself. //Vortigern and Rowena// was never performed again.

To read more about William Henry Ireland's forgeries, click [|here].

To find out more about the Shakespeare Apocrypha, click [|here].

Shakespeare, William, __Pericles, Prince of Tyre Page.__ 
 * Resources**

Shakespeare, William, __Two Noble Kinsmen__. 

"William Henry Ireland's Shakespeare Forgeries." 

"Shakespeare Apocrypha." <[|http://www.republicofheaven.org.uk/sh_apocrypha.htm>.]

Borgenson, Jess, et al., eds __The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)__