Finding
something so profound and impacting can lead one to be manipulated. That’s
exactly what happened to Boswell and Warburton after examining Ireland’s
forgeries. They were victims of deception. Not because of their lack of
intelligence, but rather having too much intelligence. These scholars were
die-hard fans of Shakespeare and desired nothing more than discovering more
information about the bard. For Boswell, he went in thinking and believing that
the manuscripts were true. This automatically made him trust Ireland without
question. There was no doubt, no skepticism only excitement and delight. Of
course, Ireland’s insistence played a large role in this scheme as well. By him
constantly reinforcing his findings, this made the public more and more intrigued.
Shakespeare’s
imprint on the earth was immense. His genius and works captivated scholars as well
as the common public. Why was he so intriguing? First of all, his works and the
depths there was to them. But also Shakespeare’s personal life and how little
was known. Who was the man behind the brain? Ireland’s forgeries gave the
public a chance to look into Shakespeare’s past and try to decipher who he was.
Even today, holding those manuscripts somehow makes us feel closer to
Shakespeare even if he had nothing to do with it at all. The reason being, it
created so much hype and controversy. Without these forgeries would we ever
have tried to find the truth? Many accused Ireland of fraud, but they needed to
find the proof to do so. Thus, leading to truth. These works, although fake,
allowed people to think and questions who Shakespeare really was, so that today
we have a better understanding of separating the truths from the lies.
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