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Fw: Shakespeare plagiarist!
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Edmunds" <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>
> From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
>
> In an absolutely stunning story certain to dwarf the controversy stirred
by
> the revelation that Nabokov plagiarized Lolita, it was revealed this week
> by an Icelandic scholar that Shakespeare, widely revered as the greatest
> playwright, and one of the greatest stylists, in the English language of
> all time, plagiarized Hamlet, his most famous play.
>
> Apparently the story of Hamlet can be shown to pre-exist Shakespeare's
> shameless plagiarism by many years. Penned by an unknown Danish writer,
the
> tale is known as "The saga of Feng and Amleth." The story of Amleth is
> nearly identical to Shakespeare's play: Feng murders his brother out of
> jealousy and marries Gerutha, Amleth's mother. Amleth pretends to be
> witless to save himself. His sanity is tested by the suspicious Feng.
> Amleth is sent to England, guarded by two of Feng's retainers, who carry a
> death letter. Amleth alters the letter to order the deaths of the
retainers
> and his own marriage to the King's daughter. He returns to Jutland where,
> after a celebratory feast, he burns the Great Hall full of drunken nobles
> and kills his uncle, thereby avenging his murdered father.
>
> Just how this amazing revelation will damage Shakespeare's inflated
> reputation remains to be seen.
>
> Needless to say, the word of Shakespearean studies is still reeling.
>
From: "Jeff Edmunds" <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>
> From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
>
> In an absolutely stunning story certain to dwarf the controversy stirred
by
> the revelation that Nabokov plagiarized Lolita, it was revealed this week
> by an Icelandic scholar that Shakespeare, widely revered as the greatest
> playwright, and one of the greatest stylists, in the English language of
> all time, plagiarized Hamlet, his most famous play.
>
> Apparently the story of Hamlet can be shown to pre-exist Shakespeare's
> shameless plagiarism by many years. Penned by an unknown Danish writer,
the
> tale is known as "The saga of Feng and Amleth." The story of Amleth is
> nearly identical to Shakespeare's play: Feng murders his brother out of
> jealousy and marries Gerutha, Amleth's mother. Amleth pretends to be
> witless to save himself. His sanity is tested by the suspicious Feng.
> Amleth is sent to England, guarded by two of Feng's retainers, who carry a
> death letter. Amleth alters the letter to order the deaths of the
retainers
> and his own marriage to the King's daughter. He returns to Jutland where,
> after a celebratory feast, he burns the Great Hall full of drunken nobles
> and kills his uncle, thereby avenging his murdered father.
>
> Just how this amazing revelation will damage Shakespeare's inflated
> reputation remains to be seen.
>
> Needless to say, the word of Shakespearean studies is still reeling.
>