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William Shakespeare's handwriting is known from six surviving signatures, all of which appear on legal documents. In addition, many scholars believe that three pages of the manuscript of the unpublished play ''Sir Thomas More'' were written by him. ==Description== Shakespeare wrote in the style known as the Secretary hand. It was native and common in England at the time, and was the cursive style taught in schools. It is not the italic script, which was encroaching as an alternate form (and which is more familiar to readers of today). Shakespeare’s handwriting shows a freedom to make variances in style depending on the mood or the composition being written. The three page additions to ''Sir Thomas More'' are written in a fluid manner, by a skillful and experienced writer. The writing begins with indications of speed, in the manner of a scrivener, with a practiced sense of uniformity. Then the writing style changes over to a more deliberate and heavier style, as can be seen, for example, in the speeches of Thomas More, which require greater thought and choice of words. Throughout, the writing shows a disposition to play with the pen, to exaggerate certain curves, to use heavier downstrokes, and to finish some final letters with a small flourish. These characteristics are more evident in the slower, deliberate sections.〔() Pollard, Alfred, editor. ''Shakespeare’s Hand in the Play of Sir Thomas More''. Thompson, E. Maunde. “The Handwriting of the Three Pages Attributed to Shakespeare Compared with His Signatures”. page 67 - 70. Cambridge University Press (1923)〕 The secretary hand was popular with authors. It was used by Christopher Marlowe and Francis Bacon. It could be written with ease and swiftness, it was conducive to the use of abbreviations, and it had a beauty in its curves as it swept across the page. As it was taught in the schools and by tutors it allowed for great diversity — each writer could choose a style for each letter. To the untrained eye, the secretary hand can at first appear to be indecipherable.〔Hamilton, Charles. ''In Search of Shakespeare''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. (1985) page 12〕 Shakespeare wrote with a quill in his right hand. A quill would need to be prepared and sharpened. Black ink would be derived from “oak apples” (small lumps in oak trees caused by insects), with vinegar and gum arabic added.〔Edmondson, Paul. ''Shakespeare: Ideas in Profile''. Profile Books (2015). ISBN 9781782831037〕 John Heminges and Henry Condell, who edited the First Folio in 1623, wrote that Shakespeare’s “mind and hand went together, and what he thought he uttered with that easiness that we have scare received from him a blot in his papers.” In 1630, in posthumously published papers, Ben Jonson wrote: “I remember the players have often mentioned it as an honor to Shakespeare, that in his writing, whatsoever he penned, he never blotted out a line. My answer hath been, ‘Would he hath blotted a thousand,’ which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told posterity this but for their ignorance, who chose that circumstance to commend their friend by wherein he most faulted; and to justify mine own candor, for I loved the man, and do honor his memory on this side idolatry as much as any. He was, indeed, honest, and of an open and free nature; had an excellent fancy, brave notions, and gentle expressions, wherein he flowed with that facility that sometime it was necessary he should be stopped."〔Edmondson, Paul. ''Shakespeare: Ideas in Profile.'' Profile Books (2015) ISBN 9781782831037〕〔() Masson, David. Essays Biographical and Critical: Chiefly on English Poets. Macmillan. (1856) page 7〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shakespeare's handwriting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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