In Shakespeare's Shadow

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In this gripping non-fiction narrative, rogue scholar Dennis McCarthy, dubbed "the Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community," investigates the connection between Sir Thomas North, an Elizabethan courtier, and Shakespeare's plays. For fifteen years, McCarthy has pursued the true origins of Shakespeare's works, employing plagiarism software to uncover direct links between iconic plays like Hamlet and Macbeth and North's writings. He posits that while Shakespeare authored the plays, he adapted them from North's earlier works, many created for North's patron, Robert Dudley, in a bid to win Queen Elizabeth's favor. This bold theory offers fresh insights into longstanding questions about Shakespeare, bolstered by the discovery of North's travel journal, which contains details mirrored in Shakespeare's narratives. The book alternates between North's dramatic life, the intrigues of the Tudor court, and McCarthy's efforts to present his controversial ideas within the insular world of Shakespearean scholarship. With a keen journalistic eye, the author crafts a compelling drama that challenges our understanding of the beloved playwright and his so-called "singular genius."