Charlton Heston and Shakespeare

In the wake of Charlton Heston's death, The Weekly Standard has posted on its website a letter Heston wrote to the magazine in May 1997. Heston eloquently defends Shakespeare as the preeminent writer in the history of the English language--but also argues that his work is best understood by actors, not writers. Just as eloquently, he rails against those academics who have made their careers out of trying to prove that Shakespeare didn't really write Shakespeare.

This question of authorship and authenticity invariably comes up when introducing students to the Bard, and Heston's views on the matter are clear, well-reasoned, and forceful.