Edward De Vere and the Long Poems of Shakespeare: Under Development

In 1593, the poem Venus and Adonis was published under the name Shakespeare. In 1594, the poem The Rape of Lucrece was also published under Shakespeare's name. Both poems were dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton. Wriothesley was born in 1573. In 1581, his father died, and Wriothesley eventually became a ward of the state under William Cecil, Lord Burghley. At the time of Shakespeare's dedications, Burghley and de Vere were promoting a marriage between Wriothesley and Elizabeth de Vere, de Vere's first daughter and Burghley's grand daughter.

Unlike the sonnets, these long poems are works of fiction. Nevertheless, there are some interesting connections between these long poems and the life of Edward de Vere. This section will explore these connections.

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