In the first part of a special WEEKLY 4-part series on the Shakespeare authorship controversy, I look at Shakespeare's deification as a godlike literary figure, examine the dearth of information about him, which led to many forgeries and much conjecture, and trace the development of baseless doubts about his identity. Visit factormeals.com/blind50 and use code blind50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your next box! Direct all advertising inquiries to [email protected]. Visit www.airwavemedia.com to find other high-quality podcasts! Find a transcript of this episode with source citations and related imagery at www.historicalblindness.com sometime before the release of the next episode. Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes! Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the show merch, which make perfect gifts!  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness. Some music on this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of this episodes publication. Tracks include "Borough," "Tarte Tatin," and "Invernen." Other music, including "daemones," "Brooks," "Remedy for Melancholy," and "daedalus" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices