New Shakespeare Play Detected?

The London Times is reporting that a computer program used to bust college students for plagiarism may have helped confirm that Shakespeare penned an unattributed play about Edward III entitled "The Reign of King Edward III," The London Times is reporting.

Professor at the Institute of English Studies at the University of London Brian Vickers reportedly tells the paper that through the use of a computer program called Pl@giarism, developed by the Univerisyt of Maastricht, a comparison of phrases used in "Edward III," a play published anonymously in 1596 and other works by the famous bard published before then showed 200 matches of phrases of three or more words. Vickers also reveals that the program showed 200 matches between the play and the works of Thomas Kyd, Shakespeare's contemporary and playwright of "The Spanish Tragedy." He believes that the two likely collaborated on "Edward III."

Says Vickers in the London Times, "There might be ten to 20 common phrases between two plays by different authors. The computer is picking out three-word sequences that could just be chunks of grammar. But when you get metaphors or unusual parts of speech, it is different." 

Shakespeare's authorship of the play has been widely debated and a mystery for over 400 years. Reportedly, the debate has raged on despite evidence such as this because many historians refuse to believe that Shakespeare collaborated with his contemporaries. 

To read the full report in the London Times, click here.