Dozens of eyes dart to the end of a long hallway where a large red bell begins to resonate. Its ring quickly overshadows the loud babble of teenage students, signaling the start of class.
With a rush, students drop their bookbags on the floor and hurl themselves into oversized desks. In a quick move their bookbags are unzipped and a lone book is placed on their desk. “Open to page 78!” instructs a wiry woman, the teacher, at the front of the classroom.
In unison, the students open their English books and find the page. It reads: “Romeo and Juliet by Anonymous.”
This is the reality that Roland Emmerich’s newest film Anonymous would have one believe. More accurately it would have one believe that the beloved works of William Shakespeare were put to parchment by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. Could it be that the Great Bard is the front for one of the biggest frauds of all time?
