What if Shakespeare was a fraud? The beloved playwright, actor, producer, and poet wrote hundreds of poems, 37 plays, and served as a company manager, all during his 52 years of life. Although he was not formally educated and records indicate that he never left his home country of England, his plays are sprinkled with worldly allusions to music, law, courtship, and Italian culture. One of his plays, Two Gentlemen of Verona, even provides a description of undocumented canal systems in Italy. These facts should arouse suspicion about the true authorship of Shakespearian work, but instead, the playwright is continuously praised for his lack of collaboration and superhuman ability to generate such quality content in a short time period.
By Any Other Name brings these Shakespearian suspicions to light. Written by bestselling author Jodi Picoult—known for tackling difficult or controversial subjects—the brand-new novel explores an attempt to find the true author (or authors) of Shakespeare’s most venerated plays and poems. Although the story is fictional, Picoult admits in her author’s note that she truly believes Shakespeare put his name on other writers’ works. Picoult recognizes that many readers will be upset by the novel’s topic–one, because it sheds an ugly light on such a respected historical figure, but more importantly, because she introduced the idea that Shakespeare was a woman.
The novel’s dual narrative follows Emilia Bassano, the first woman to publish a poetry book in Elizabethan England, and her descendant as they tackle gender discrimination. After facing career obstacles, Melina (Bassano’s descendant), in present-day New York City, attempts to gain recognition for Bassano after having reason to believe that her ancestor was the ghost author responsible for plays like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Venus and Adonis. Like Bassano, however, Melina finds it impossible to gain respect in an industry that is dominated by men. Although centuries apart, the women’s stories mirror each other, both feeling the need to write under a man’s name in order to make their stories heard.
By Any Other Name is an eye-opening perspective on the enduring sexism in society. Picoult courageously questions the credibility of both Shakespeare and the present-day theater industry, while also managing to create a beautiful story intertwined with love and loss. History and language lovers will be pleasantly surprised to find the Shakespearean allusions strategically placed throughout the novel’s dialogue. The book is truly for everyone, however, and readers will find themselves in tears at unexpected moments and just might fall in love with Bassano, the woman who changed the world in silence.
