Why a legendary Shakespearean actor doubts Shakespeare actually wrote his own plays
In short: Sir Derek Jacobi is a titan of the stage, knighted for his craft and celebrated for his definitive portrayals of Hamlet and Claudius. Yet, behind the accolades lies a provocative intellectual crusade: Jacobi is a leading proponent of the theory that the man from Stratford-upon-Avon was not the true author.
Born in 1938, Derek Jacobi’s path to theatrical greatness began in childhood, when a bout of rheumatic fever confined him to bed for 18 months. Listening to the radio and watching television during this period sparked a new accent and a lifelong ambition to act. By 1960, he had graduated from Cambridge and was invited to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, eventually becoming a founding member of the National Theatre under Laurence Olivier. His career spans decades of classical mastery, from his 1976 breakthrough in the BBC’s I, Claudius to his acclaimed 2010 performance as King Lear.
Beyond his celebrated performances, Jacobi has become a prominent figure in the Shakespeare authorship question. He is a vocal supporter of the Oxfordian theory, which posits that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true creative force behind the works attributed to William Shakespeare. Jacobi’s commitment to this alternative history is significant; he has written forewords for books on the subject and, in 2007, co-initiated a 'Declaration of Reasonable Doubt' alongside actor Mark Rylance to encourage further academic scrutiny of the authorship.
This stance has not been without controversy. In 2011, Jacobi narrated the film Anonymous, which dramatizes the Oxfordian theory. He acknowledged at the time that the project was a risky endeavor, predicting that orthodox scholars—whom he calls 'Stratfordians'—would react with intense frustration. For Jacobi, the question is not merely a hobby but a serious intellectual pursuit, one that challenges the established narrative of English literature’s most famous figure while he simultaneously continues to define the very roles he questions.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Derek Jacobi
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/ideas-derek-jacobi.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Writers · More in Ideas & Philosophy · Latest · A–Z · All topics
