Shakespeare led the writing of Edward III
Scholars conclude ‘beyond doubt’ that Shakespeare was main author of Edward III
Sunday, 18 October 2026
Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash
Warm-up
- How do scholars decide who wrote an old text?
- What tools can help study literature today?
- Do creative rivals ever work together well? Why?
Vocabulary
- canon
- the official list of works accepted as written by an author
- collaboration
- people working together on the same project
- anonymously
- without a writer’s name being given
- analysis
- careful study to understand patterns or facts
- segment
- a clearly defined part of a larger whole
- rival
- a person who competes with another for success
- marker
- a sign or feature used to identify something
- attribution
- the act of saying who created a work
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishNew research argues that the play Edward III should enter William Shakespeare’s canon, and that it was a major collaboration with Christopher Marlowe. First published anonymously in 1596, the history play has long been debated, but a team now says computerised linguistic analysis puts Shakespeare’s role “beyond any reasonable doubt”.
Dr Rory Loughnane of the University of Kent and Prof Brett Greatley-Hirsch of the University of Leeds compared Edward III with securely attributed works by 10 dramatists from the late 1580s to mid‑1590s. Their analysis identifies 23 segments as Shakespeare’s and nine as Marlowe’s. One clue was the distribution of “marker” words, including martial, that are typical of Marlowe.
The finding reshapes both canons. Edward III was absent from the 1623 First Folio, and earlier editors accepted only a few scenes. A 2016 project had already named Marlowe as co-author of Shakespeare’s three Henry VI plays. If the new attribution is right, the pair were not merely rivals but collaborators in their mid‑to‑late 20s. Marlowe died in 1593, aged 29, after a brawl in a lodging house, which may explain why the partnership ended.
Comprehension
- When was Edward III first published?
- Which two scholars led the new study?
- How many segments were attributed to Shakespeare and to Marlowe?
- What type of linguistic clue supported Marlowe’s share?
- Which earlier Shakespeare plays were linked to Marlowe in 2016?
Grammar focus
Three-word phrasal-prepositional verbs
Verb + particle + preposition (e.g., come up with, put up with). These are inseparable: the object follows the preposition, not between particle and preposition. (Examples constructed.)
- The editors came up against gaps in the record.
- Readers put up with uncertainty for years.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- Scholars (came with up / came up with) a test idea.
- Editors (ran of / ran out of) patience in debate.
- Researchers looked (forward to / to forward) a new edition.
- Critics (made for up / made up for) thin evidence with analysis.
- The project (lived up to / lived to up) its claims.
Discussion
- Should Edward III be added to Shakespeare’s canon now? Why?
- How useful is computerised analysis in literature?
- Can rivalry improve collaboration in the arts? Give an example.
- Should anonymous works be attributed or left uncertain?
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