Wider Scope

Professor Busts the Bard for Cheating in Class

Heidi Kraemer |

 
Thou ist a cheater!

Not only did Shakespeare make words bow at his feet, he adorned his neck with a ruff. How does one compete with that killer combo? Thus people get jealous of the poor, dead playwright and attempt to debunk his work. However, according an English professor at the University of London, there is evidence that Shakespeare is not the sole author of one of his plays. Using a student plagiarism software program called Pl@giarism, Vickers claims 200 words and phrases in the play The Reign of King Edward III, commonly attributed to Shakespeare, actually match up to the works of Thomas Kyd, the Elizabethan playwright of The Spanish Tragedy. Published anonymously in 1596 along with other works by Shakespeare, Vickers says it is possible that Kyd and Shakespeare collaborated on The Reign of Kind Edward III. The authorship of the play has long been debated, but so far, the play is still officially attributed to our dear, esteemed Shakespeare.