Was Shakespeare Really a Fraud?

Today marks the debut of the controversial film, Anonymous, which seeks to make the case (the cinematic case, anyhow) that the true author of William Shakespeare's works was actually Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford.

In the following video, Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., founder and head editor of Ignatius Press, interviews Joseph Pearce, author of three books on Shakespeare—The Quest for Shakespeare: The Bard of Avon and the Church of Rome (Ignatius Press, 2008), Through Shakespeare's Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays (Ignatius Press, 2010), and Shakespeare On Love (Ignatius Press; to be published in 2012)—about the real Shakespeare. Joseph is also the head editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions, for which he has written many introductions and essays, including for editions of Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, and Romeo and Juliet.