This documentary movie does not pretend to provide definitive answers to the many questions and mysteries which surround the plays and poems that have been attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford. What it does focus on, however, is the possible role played by Shakespeare's brilliant contemporary, Christopher Marlowe, in the writing of some of these works.
One of my criticisms of the presentation of subject material in this movie is that it dwells unduly on the theory that Marlowe survived his reported death on May 30, 1593, and subsequently wrote most of the works anonymously while living on the continent. This would have been facilitated by his mastery of the Latin languages. According to the theory, all of the works were sent back to England and prepared for the stage by Shakespeare (and/or perhaps others) and eventually published under Shakespeare's name - some seven years after his death.
The problem with this theory is that there is no direct evidence of Marlowe's survival beyond 1593. There is, however, circumstantial evidence that all is not as it appears on the surface. This is based largely on a convincing demonstration, by the late scholar Dr Leslie Hotson in one of his books, of gross irregularities and inconsistencies in the original coroner's report of Marlowe's death. Notwithstanding this fact, there exist alternative hypotheses which would help to explain the premature exit of Marlowe from the London literary scene in 1593.
What I found disappointing was the omission of any discussion about the possibility that the prolific Marlowe actually died in 1593 and that some of his earlier works might have been revised, and perhaps completed, by Shakespeare. Such a scenario is not at all implausible. It has been demonstrated recently by several scholars that some of the Shakesperean canon exhibits more than one distinct writing style, suggestive of co-authorship. Based on their literary and stylistic analysis, the following plays appear to be co-authored (the suggested co-authors' names are in brackets):
Titus Andronicus (Peele and/or Marlowe); Pericles (Wilkins); Timon of Athens (Middleton); King John (Marlowe); Richard 2 (Marlowe); Richard 3 (Marlowe); Henry 4, Pt 2 (Marlowe); Henry 5 (Marlowe); Henry 6, Pt 1 (at least 3 of the "university wits"); Henry 6, Pt 2 (Marlowe); Henry 6, Pt 3 (Marlowe); Henry 8 (Fletcher); Edward 3 (Marlowe and/or Peele); Macbeth (Middleton); Sir Thomas More (Munday, Heywood, Chettle, Dekker, Kyd)
The remaining issues to be resolved include (a) which of these works might have been the outcome of active collaboration with Shakespeare, and (b) which were revised, extended and completed versions of other authors' works.
