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Home of the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt About the Identity of William Shakespeare
Verified signatory count: 1290Next signing deadline: November 2008
SAC news
More stars declare their doubt of Shakespeare
Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance sign the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt at Minerva Theatre in Chichester, West Sussex, on September 8. Read the BBC coverage, or the SAC press release.
Mark Rylance and 'Shakespeare' with Declaration. See the full photo gallery
The Shakespeare Authorship Coalition runs this website so anyone who cares about Shakespeare, as we do, can easily see why his identity has long been in doubt, and sign a definitive declaration addressing the issue — the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt About the Identity of William Shakespeare, located on this site. We have nothing against the man from Stratford-on-Avon, but we doubt that he was the author of the works. Our goal is to legitimize the issue in academia so students, teachers and professors can feel free to pursue it. This is necessary because the issue is widely viewed as settled in academia and is treated as a taboo subject. We believe that an open-minded examination of the evidence shows that the issue should be taken seriously. Your signature on the Declaration will help us make the case that there is reasonable doubt about the author.
The Declaration was written not just to advocate, but also to educate. It provides an introduction to the issue. Many scholars with knowledge of the issue, including those on our advisory board, contributed to writing it. We hope thousands will sign it and millions will read it. To achieve the latter, we need help with the former. The next updated signatory list will be posted sometime in November, 2008. To qualify, be sure to sign the Declaration before then. After signing it, you may wish to download a free copy to share with others who may also find it interesting. You may also wish to purchase one or more products from our online Store to help increase the visibility of the SAC, and the Declaration. We plan to operate this website through the 400th anniversary of the death of the traditional author, the Stratford man, on April 23, 2016.
