Who Wrote Bacon?: William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and James I, a Mystery of the Twenty-first Century

For years a popular debate has been raging about whether Shakespeare really was the author of the many famous plays and poems published in his name. Shakespeare could not have accomplished this great feat, argue the doubters, and point instead to other well-known figures. Who Wrote Bacon? offers a completely new perspective, examining afresh the evidence to hand, and introducing unexplored aspects of Rudolf Steiner's spiritual-scientific research. The author discusses Shakespeare's life as an actor, riddles of the debate such as the enigmatic Psalm 46, and the persistent question of Francis Bacon's connection with Shakespeare. In recent years a movement has been gaining ground to establish that Bacon himself covertly wrote Shakespeare's great works. This movement is not content with this radical claim, but further seeks to place Bacon on the chief pedestal of British civilization as something of a patron saint of the modern scientific age. Ramsbotham provides substantial confirmation of a definite connection between Shakespeare and Bacon, but one which radically challenges the conclusions of the Baconian movement. The author also opens up remarkable new perspectives on King James I and his connections not only with Shakespeare and Bacon, but also with Jakob Boehme, Rudolf II, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and the original Globe Theatre. Published 400 years after the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, Who Wrote Bacon? offers a timely contribution to these themes, and shows how they remain of critical importance to understanding the twenty-first century.