Those folks looking for some good cryptographic puzzles, with maybe a hint of conspiracy thrown in, are encouraged to check out Jim’s new blog Wordplay Shakespeare where he’s already “decoded” secrets including the identity of Mr. W.H. as well as Hamlet’s true age. Disclaimer: I did spot Jim’s blog in my referrer logs, and he sent me a nice note introducing himself. Particularly since English is not his first language, he’s asking for tips to make his blog better. So be nice. 🙂 I have to admit that I don’t fully “get it”. I don’t see the patterns that he’s seeing, and I’m not sure I always understand the rules he’s applying. But then, I’ve never had much of an eye for that sort of thing. Maybe there are some folks out in my audience who’d like to get some conversation going over there where we can help Jim make his case?
Thanks Duane.In short, solving Mr. W. H. provides a way to read 1623 Folio with real names.I pick two short samples, a graphic one from The Taming of the Shrew (five names), and All the world is a stage (seven names). This kind of name code exists everywhere in Folio. The two have more names in a short text. I hope this can help. Thanks.
I like to tell my grad students that Mr. W.H. was me.
There is a pause and then laughter as they realize my initials are W.H. too.
Dear Bill,
I agree. You're right when the sample space is small. I've solved around 100 now and put them one by one, improving too. Give me some time, and your comments will be highly appreciated. Thank you.