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Reviewed by Beverly
J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com William Shakespeare was the son of the Virgin Queen? That subtitle alone demanded investigation. Mr. Streitz is the director of the Oxford Institute which promotes awareness of the Earl of Oxford. In this very well researched, scholarly work, he clears away much of the mysticism surrounding William Shakespeare and in a shocking deviation from standard history texts, recounts the evidence that Queen Elizabeth I, at the tender age of thirteen, became the mother of a male child by her stepfather, Thomas Seymour. This child was placed in the house of de Vere to be raised as their own, a deception engineered by the indomitable William Cecil. This child ultimately became the 17th Earl of Oxford and a renowned writer under several pen names, the most famous being William Shakespeare. There are a number of contenders for the pen name of William Shakespeare, but this book shows biographical parallels of de Vere's life to the Shakespeare works and strips away some of the myths; neatly pushing the grain merchant from Stratford-upon-Avon aside. Paul Streitz further maintains that Elizabeth had a total of six children, all placed with noble families of the realm. To those of us who have always accepted that Elizabeth was "The Virgin Queen," this is a shocking and disturbing historical deviation. His arguments are very convincing. Although 1548 seems very remote, Streitz writes with a high level of excitement that is thoroughly contagious. This book feels as fresh and as controversial as today's gossip about contemporary personalities. If you have any interest in Tudor England, this is the one book you MUST read, it is an accomplishment of outstanding significance with more surprises on every page. Currently accepted history is...history. |
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