[David Callin]

Originally Posted by E. Shaun Russell

One could made a compelling speculative argument that had Shakespeare not existed, there are several candidates for playwrights who would have held a similar place in literary history.

I think your comments have been a model of good sense throughout, Shaun, but I draw the line at that one. Without Shakespeare, would we have thought of Marlowe, or Webster, or Jonson, as we do of him? (Maybe Marlowe if he'd survived, sure, but not as we have him.)

I think not.