'Fake' Shakespeare play turns out to be real

If someone says they've rewritten a Shakespeare play from manuscripts "lost in a library fire," there's good reason to be suspicious. But in this case, it was actually true.

Lewis Theobald claimed he adapted the play Double Falsehood in 1728 from the lost Shakespeare texts. Understandably, not many people believed him. But after studying Theobald's work with text analyzing software, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have concluded that Double Falsehood is indeed an authentic Shakespeare work.

The researchers compared Double Falsehood's language and word choice with the linguistic patterns of more than 30 other Shakespeare plays, as well as works by Theobald and Shakespeare's collaborator John Fletcher. In addition to the language similarities, Double Falsehood also shares plot similarities with classic Shakespearean tales, including women disguising themselves as men and "tragedy laced with comedy," The Independent notes. If you're a true Shakespeare fan, you'll want to add the play to your reading list.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up