Why have I just heard of this now?
While cruising some “Shakespeare quotes” pages I noticed a citation to this work dropped in there amid Venus and Adonis, the sonnets and the plays just like it was no big deal. Stuck out like a sore thumb!
The wiki seems to have the truth of it — people lump the whole collection under Shakespeare’s name, but in reality it’s a collection of sonnets from other sources and authors. Shakespeare’s contribution comes from Love’s Labour’s Lost, while Marlowe’s is “The Passionate Pilgrim To His Love.”
Is there more to this? Should I pay more attention? Or does this about sum it up?
This year’s Shakespeare Day Celebration is sponsored in part by Shakespeare Is Universal: Shakespeare truly is for everyone, and nothing demonstrates that sentiment better than his most famous quote of all, translated here into languages from around the world. In celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday, show that you believe his works are just as relevant, powerful and important as they’ve ever been!
This belongs in the "not by Shakespeare" realm of awareness, to me.