O Brother Shakespeare, Where Art Thou?

Was William Shakespeare a Mason? Did he invent modern Freemasonry? Brother Alfred Dodd thinks so.

The 1623 Shakespeeare Folio is saturated with references to Masonry or Freemasonry. Below are some examples from Brother Dodd's Shakespeare Creator of Freemasonry.

(Brackets and emphasis by capitalization are Dodd's)

"What things have we seen, Done at the Mermaid! Heard words that have been, so Nimble and so full of subtle Flame.... One had resolved to live a F.... the rest of his dull life." — A letter to Ben Jonson from Francis Bacon

"And the Meanest (Most Humble) of things are made more precious when they are dedicated to Temples." — Epistle Dedication in The Shakespeare Folio, 1623

The Masonic Symbol
Like to the garter COMPASSE in a Ring....
—The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act V, S.5

The Young Mason
Is there no young squarer that will make a Voyage with him...?
—Much Ado About Nothing, Act I S.1

Square Conduct
I have not kept my Square,but that to come shall all be done by Rule.
—Antony and Cleopatra, Act II, S.1.

They never meet, but they do Square. —A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, S.1

The Prepared Candidate
I shall stay here, therefore horse to a Smock(an apron), Creaking my shoes on the Plain Masonry.
—All's well that Ends Well, Act II, last scene

Be patient... I'll bring thee... HOODWINK this... Speak softly... This is the mouth of THE CELL... No more...ENTER.
—The Tempest, Act IV

The Head of the Lodge
What! My old WORSHIPFUL MASTER!
—Taming of the Shrew, Act V, S.1.

The Point From Which a Master Mason Cannot Err
I will find where TRUTH is Hid
Though it were Hid indeed
Within the Centre.
—Hamlet, Act II, S.2

The masonic ritual letter code
And from the Cross Row [the Rosi Cross].
plucks the letter G [the Grand Geometrician].
—Richard III, Act I, S.1

I likewise will visit thee with mine letters....
—Two Gentlemen of Verona

Count tis your Qu.
—Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare | Alfred Dodd | Hamlet