Testimony of the Sonnets as to the Authorship of the Shakespearean Plays and Poems

audiobook

Testimony of the Sonnets as to the Authorship of the Shakespearean Plays and Poems

by Jesse Johnson

EN·~1 hours

Chapters

Description

The book turns a careful eye toward the Shakespearean sonnets, treating them not as a single, seamless work but as a collection that unfolded over several years. By examining their emotional depth and the seemingly personal concerns they voice, the author highlights a lingering puzzle: many details feel out of step with what we know of Shakespeare’s life at the time they were penned. Rather than dismissing the poems as enigmatic, the work proposes a fresh perspective—suggesting the sonnets were addressed to Shakespeare by a hidden poet, a friend who offered both admiration and private confession.

Through a methodical presentation of “testimony” drawn directly from the verses, the author builds a case that could stand in a court of law. The argument is laid out plainly, inviting listeners to follow the reasoning without demanding acceptance, and encouraging a re‑evaluation of how the sonnets fit into the broader literary landscape of the era.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~1 hours (104K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by D Alexander, Stephanie Eason, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

Release date

2009-06-10

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

JJ

Jesse Johnson

b. 1842

Best known today for a curious Shakespeare study from 1899, this late-19th-century writer explored the Sonnets as clues to the authorship question. Catalog records also link him to other nonfiction works, suggesting a reader drawn to argument, history, and big literary debates.

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