Who was Mr W H?

Answer 1

There have been many theories as to the identity of Mr WH, the mysterious referent of Thomas Thorpe's foreword to Shakespeare's Sonnets. These theories are generally compromised by weaknesses of argument - summarised in the linked article below.

Nevertheless, this question and the other mysteries of publication are resolved by the evidence for biography in the Sonnets: that of the relationship between Shakespeare and his patron, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The biography contains detail which the Earl, a powerful potential adversary, would not have wished made public.

With this background it appears that Mr WH was Thorpe's source. If so, he must have been a man who: cared nothing for Wriothesley's reputation; thought himself immune to retaliation from the powerful Earl; could defend Thorpe from the aristocrat and - as a consequence of the latter condition - could demonstrate legitimate possession of the manuscript poems. To date, there is only one person known to be consistent with such a template: Wriothesley's stepfather, William Hervey, subsequently Baron Hervey of Kidbrooke. Furthermore, he had the social status and initials of Thorpe's Mr WH.

The deduction is supported by the histories of the two kinsmen and their clashes. Moreover, it sheds new light on Thorpe's cryptic address - uniquely, with a credible explanation of all the nuances of its construction. Read more at the link below, Who was Mr WH?.