Shakespeare By Any Other Name Would Still Sound As Sweet

In the newly released Anonymous, we explore the theory that William Shakespeare was nothing more than an illiterate actor and that it was actually the very educated Earl of Oxford who wrote the famed works. This is not the first time I've heard doubts about Shakespeare's abilities. During my very brief stint as a theater major, I was told that Shakespeare stole the ideas for his plays from lesser known play writes the world over. Had accusations of plagiarism been thrown more recently, say at Stephen King, it would quite the scandal. However, considering the works were created over 400 years ago, does it matter who wrote it? Do we not know the works well enough to celebrate the piece and not the man?

These theories should taint my opinion of the plays. However, all I want to talk about are the marvelous film adaptations that have cropped up over the last few decades. I'm going to throw my votes out there for best drama and comedy screen adaptation of a Shakespeare...er, Earl of Oxford play: Merchant of Venice (2004) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). But there are so many choices out there: what's your fancy?

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.