John W. Kennedy wrote:
> On May 24, 11:42 am, Joseph DeMartino  wrote:
>> Do you think the newsgroups and websites devoted to...
>> Shakespeare are filled with fans pushing for "Hamlet II:  The Wrath of
>> Fortinbras"...?
> 
> Actually, they are largely filled with mentally ill individuals
> claiming variously that:
>   Shakespeare didn't write his own plays (sometimes they go further to
> claim that their hero, whoever that is, also wrote "Don
Quixote", "The
> Fairy Queene", and practically everything else published in any
> language between 1550 and 1650. If their candidate is Francis Bacon,
> they sometimes go on to include "Moby Dick" -- and
"Babylon 5", too,
> for aught I know to the contrary. (Anyone recall the guy who was
> claiming online about a dozen years ago that B5 was actually being
> written by Harlan Ellison?)
>   Shakespeare was the reincarnation of Jesus. (If you think that's
> wacky, there's a /really/ demented fan on another group who apparently
> believes that Andrea Corr is the reincarnation of Jesus.)
>   /They/ are the reincarnation of Shakespeare.
>   The "inner, mystical" meaning of Shakespeare's plays can be attained
> to by "meditation". (Actually /reading/ the plays is a distraction.)
> 
> Of course, right now, there is also a lot of fuss over the Arden
> Shakespeare deciding to include Lewis Theobald's 1727 "Double
> Falshood; or, The Distrest Lovers", on the hypothesis that Theobald
> based it on the since-lost "Cardenio", a play of 1613 co-authored by
> Shakespeare and John Fletcher, the young man who took over as head
> writer for the King's Men when Shakespeare retired. I happen to be a
> minor expert on the subject (you can read "Double Falshood" on my
> website at http://pws.prserv.net/jwkennedy>), and I am inclined
> to think they are right. I suppose you could see that as a variation
> on the demanding-a-sequel theme, if you like.
> 

The playShakespeare.com app I have on my iPhone includes the following 
"additions" to the canon:

Double Falsehood
Edward III
Sir Thomas More

There's no indication in the app (that I've found yet) that these are 
questionable at best.  However, it's nice to have them if for no other 
reason than to have a few more Elizabethan plays available in the 
library.  Useful for auditions, etc.

Blair
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