AI response to PFC
No large language models had anything to do with formulating the PFC, which precedes their existence. This is AI responding to the evidence and argument. We asked Gemini AI Pro to analyze the evidence and provide a summary of how it supports the conclusion that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is the author of the First Folio works. This is how it re-arranged the nine points and summarised the case.
| Cluster | # | Description of Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| I. Proof of Identity (Links name to man) |
1 | Title Pages: Shakespeare’s name is listed as the author on numerous plays and poems published during his lifetime (1593 onwards). |
| 7 | Shakespeare Gent.: The author applied for and was granted a Coat of Arms… and was therefore entitled to the title of “Gent.” (“M.” or “Mr.”), which was applied to him in print and records. | |
| 8 | The ONLY Shakespeare Gent.: Only William Shakespeare of Stratford had the distinction of “Gent.” during that time period. | |
| II. Proof of Theatrical Ties (Links man to company) |
2 | Sharer in Companies: Contemporary records show William Shakespeare was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the King’s Men. |
| 3 | Well-documented Relationship: His personal and business relationship with fellow sharers (Burbage, Heminges, Condell, etc.) is well documented. | |
| 4 | Named in Will of Fellow Player: He was named as a “fellow” in the 1605 will of actor Augustine Phillips. | |
| III. Proof of First Folio Link (Links man to works) |
5 | Fellow Player Named as Trustee: John Heminges (a Folio compiler) acted as a trustee for “William Shakespeare of Stratford” in a London property purchase. |
| 6 | Left Money to Fellow Players: Shakespeare left money to Heminges, Burbage, and Condell (Folio compilers) to buy mourning rings in his will. | |
| 9 | A Worthy Fellow: Heminges and Condell explicitly state in the First Folio dedication that the works were written by “so worthy a friend and fellow…as was our Shakespeare.” |
Summary of Convergence
The three clusters of evidence are designed to work together to establish the conclusion:
- Identity proves that the name on the books belongs to only one man: William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.
- Theatrical Ties proves that this man was a deep insider, a sharer and fellow of the company that performed and owned the plays.
- Folio Link proves that the man’s closest theatrical associates, Heminges and Condell, explicitly identified him as their author when they compiled and published his complete works.
Conclusion: All evidence converges to support the central conclusion that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is the Author of the First Folio Works.
While toothache could be life-threatening in Shakespeare’s time and the plague was often just around the corner, much of the life he led as a professional playwright differed little from his modern counterparts, a point made emphatically in the film Shakespeare in Love. Even modern actor’s clichés–“I hope work together again” don’t seem out of place. In 2011 an Oxfordian film appeared presenting a desperately over-complicated version of Oxford’s life. The depictions of life and work in Bankside theatre in each film are at opposite ends of the reality spectrum. While Shakespeare in Love concentrated on the context of theatre production and accurately portraying the Bankside zeitgeist, Anonymous piled one preposterous misrepresentation of events upon another and felt like it came from another universe. Watching it the two in tandem should be enough to cure anyone flirting with doubt. ⌕