The Taverner's Tale, in the form of a play, chronicles the adventures of two young actors and would be playwrights, perhaps Shakespeare and Ben Jonson themselves, while returning on foot to London from a visit to an Earl's estate in Wales in 1588, the year of Spain's attempted invasion of England with its vast "Invincible Armada".   War is close at hand.  After a joint romantic encounter with two fair damsels, they find their lives at risk of death and the course of their future fortunes forever changed by their subsequent perils.  It is an earthy and bawdy tale.  It could explain many of the mysteries surrounding the previously unknown education and the early life of two of England's greatest writers.  Who were those actors?  What were their names?  How did they end?  Who wrote this Play?  Is this a long lost tale by Shakespeare himself?  If not, then by whom?  What was the possibility or even the probability of the role of chance in the origin of this play?  The play itself is characterized by its author's use of a rich tapestry of conceits and metaphors.  Its language is directly and indisputably drawn from and crafted in the manner of plays from the Elizabethan era.  In its form, rhythm, style, meter, mastery of plot and portrayal of character, it closely resembles the works of Shakespeare.  Indeed, it is written and woven throughout with his favored verse form, iambic pentameter.  The frequent sexual innuendos with their associated word play (a hall mark of Shakespeare) that are contained within these lines are more fully explored and noted in the footnotes.  One friend on first reading the play asked, "Where did you find this play?"  Another said, "If Shakespeare didn't write it, he should claim it as his own!"  What do you think?

The book is available on Kobo and other electronic platforms.  Volume purchases in the form of a large, handsome and large easily read soft-cover book of 8 ½ by 11 inches may be made by visiting the book's website, "thetavernerstale.com" or searching the internet for "The Taverner's Tale".