Jonson's Eulogy

The most convincing single item of evidence for William Shakespeare being Shakespeare of Stratford is Ben Jonson's "To the memory of my beloved, the Author Mr. William Shakespeare," prefaced to the First Folio. Here is a man who knew Shakespeare, and he says that Shakespeare the poet was associated with the river Avon: "sweet swan of Avon." However, that is the only biographical reference in Jonson's poem. (Jonson also says that Shakespeare trod the stage; however, both men acted.)

Leonard Digges, also in the prefatory material of the First Folio, provided other biographical links between Shakespeare the poet and William Shakespeare of Stratford. Digges says that the First Folio was given to "the world" by his "pious fellowes," John Heminge and Henry Condell of the King's Men, and also mentions Shakespeare's connection with Stratford: "thy Stratford monument":

Shake-speare, at length thy pious fellowes give
The world thy Workes : thy Workes, by which, out-live
Thy Tombe, thy name must when that stone is rent,
And Time dissolves thy Stratford Moniment,
Here we alive shall view thee still....

To these, David Kathman adds a number of eulogies and mentions of Shakespeare that assume he is William Shakespeare, buried at Stratford.

To the Jonson poem the Oxfordian reply is comparatively weak. Jonson was working for the Herberts at the time; it suited them to associate Shakespeare the poet with William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. Jonson would have known the value of the "swan of Avon" reference; "avon/afan" means "river," and there are at least four River Rivers in England, as well as one in Wales and three in Scotland.

Leonard Digges was a family acquaintance of both men, and his references may be taken, by those so inclined, to refer to either man.

• The King's Men were clearly the "fellows" of whomever wrote the Shakespeare plays. If this were Oxford, he had been in literary fellowship with men like them; if it were Willliam Shakespeare of Stratford, he was their business associate in theatrical ventures.
• Oxfordians see a reference to the Day of Judgment, when all becomes clear, in the lines "when that stone is rent/and Time dissolves thy Stratford Mon[u]ment"--the "monument" being "dissolved" William Shakespeare of Stratford himself. Stratfordians think this is pernicious overreading.

The Kathman references are more easily dealt with. There is no doubt that the author of the works of Shakespeare was meant to be taken as William Shakespeare of Stratford. The authors of the eulogies and other work, mentioning that Shakespeare is Shakespeare, are simply passing on that information; they have no special standing.

Biographical Stratford • Jonson's eulogy • Oxford's death • Biographical Oxford
Shakespeare's library • Shakespeare's travels • Shakespeare's experience
Dating the plays • Authorship timeline • "Theory of casual references"