DarkLady4

English 8-4
==== The Dark Lady is just as mysterious as she sounds. Nobody knows what her true identity is but there are theorie s as to who she is, if she actually existed. The Dark Lady is the supposed mistress of William Shakespeare with whom he had a fiery affair. The webpage “William Shakespeare’s Sonnets” from the website //William Shakespeare// states, “Sonnets 127-152 are addressed to, or concern, a dark lady,” which were written after the October of 1594. William refers to her as a woman with“raven black eyes,” dark skin, and dark hair. Amanda Mabillard writes in “Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Q&A” from //Shakespeare-Online// that scholars believe that the Dark Lady was either Lucy Morgan, a brothel owner, Mary Fitton, a Maid of Honour to Elizabeth I, or Emilia Lanier. Each woman is a candidate, but only one could have been the real Dark Lady upon whom Shakespeare doted so much, if she existed. ==== ==== According to René Weis in her book //Shakespeare Unbound: Decoding a Hidden Life//, the most likely suspect for the Dark Lady is the beautiful and intriguing Emilia Lanier. //Shakespeare Unbound: Decoding a Hidden Life// explains that she was a member of the Bassano family, a Venetian Jewish family that was very musical and involved in the world of the arts. Emilia was five years younger than Shakespeare. Maya Vision’s webpage, called “Emilia Lanier (The Dark Lady)” from the website //In Search of Shakespeare,// explains that she was the mistress of Lord Hundson who was the patron of Shakespeare’s theatre company. When she became pregnant she was married to Alfonso Lanier in October of 1592 and she gave birth to her son, Henry, in 1593. Emilia is linked to the Dark Lady because of her olive skin, dark hair, good looks, and the fact that she was very involved in Shakespeare’s social circle. In 1597 Shakespeare wrote //The Merchant of Venice//. This play was about disrespectful Jewish stereotypes which again lead back to Emilia, who came from a Jewish family. Maya Vision's webpage says that this play may have been written because Shakespeare felt guilty about having an affair with Emilia. Although there are many facts about the Dark Lady that relate her to Emilia, nobody really knows who the Dark Lady is, if there really was a Dark Lady. ==== ==== The Dark Lady could have been a figment of Shakespeare’s wild imagination. Her essence reeks of ambiguity. Just a whisper of her name brings up many questions that are impossible to answer. She will forever remain another mystery in the vivacious yet unsolved life of William Shakespeare. ====

** Works Cited **
==== Weis, Rene. //Shakespeare Unbound Decoding a Hidden Life//. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2007. 42-3. Print. // Emilia Lanier (the Dark Lady) //. Maya Vision, 2003. Web. 4 Apr 2010. []. ====

==== “William Shakespeare’s Sonnets.” William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare info, 2005. Web. 4 Apr 2010. < [|http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare- sonnets.htm] >. ==== ===="Who was Shakespeare's." //Shakespeare Birthplace Trust//. N.p., 2010. Web. 7 Apr 2010. < [mentioned-in-connection-with-the-sonnets&catid=21:the-works&Itemid=623|http://shakespeare.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=631:who-was-shakespeares-dark-lady-mentioned-in-connection-with-the-sonnets&catid=21:the-works&Itemid=623] >. ====