SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27148, 18 September 1953, Page 5

SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS

Critic’s Theory About Marlowe (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 16. A theory that Christopher Marlowe wrote plays attributed to Shakespeare has been held for the last 15 years by the critic, Calvin Hoffman. He believes Marlowe was not killed in a brawl in 1593, but went abroad because he faced death on atheism and other charges. While he was abroad, Mr Hoffman thinks, he may have continued writing, and sent his scripts to Sir Thomas Walsingham, his patron and benefactor. Mr Hoffman’s theory is that there may be original, first folio manuscripts of 36 plays in Marlowe’s hand in the Walsingham family tomb in Scadbury Chapel, at the parish churcb of Chislehurst, Kent. He is therefore making efforts to get permission to have the tomb opened to check his theory. Mr Hoffman hopes he 'will find in the tomb either manuscripts or some attestation that Marlowe had offered iiis work to Walsingham. Walsingham, the theory runs, had copies made, and disposed of them later, for some consideration, to Shakespeare. Mr Hoffman contends that until the date of Marlowe’s supposed death, noone had heard of Shakespeare. “The crowning significance is the emergence of Shakespeare as a playwright after the alleged death of Marlowe, at the age of 30,” he said. “Shakespeare, whom I consider a third-rate actor, then suddenly became affluent. I have recorded hundreds of parallelisms between Marlowe and Shakespeare, and I come to my conclusions on deductive and circumstantial evidence. This was an historic imposture.” The cost of opening the tomb, which was built in 1467 by Sir Edmund Walsingham, is estimated at about £250. Mr Hoffman will bear the expense himself.