WTF? John Lennon and Princess Diana?

[Capt Dizle]

There were hundreds of bandits known as Robin Hood to choose from.

"Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
That be of frebore blode;
I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode."

Given the nature of his work and the time it would be passing strange to have detailed written records but we have bard's tales and the oral histories of the celtic remnants.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Prove that I'm not God.

Oh wait, you can't, so I must be God

While terrifying in its example, this illustrates jimmy's illogic perfectly.

[monkspider]

There is some evidence of a Robin Hood and King Arthur existing in one form or another actually. Arthur I believe was an old Celtic king who fought off a Saxon invasion.

[Boris Godunov]

The first Robin Hood tales were in the 14th century, and there's nothing linking them to any real person (many groups have tried, believe me) any moreso than, say, the Iliad would prove the existence of Zeus or Athena.

Certainly the Robin Hood of legend that you credit as being so great was nowhere near even the original ballad incarnation of RH, who was a far less noble and mythic figure. So in that sense, the Robin Hood commonly known around the world is indeed a work of fiction. Trying to say he's a real person based on this would be like me putting J. Gatsby on the list of greatest Americans because he happened to be based on a real person.

[David Floyd]

While terrifying in its example

Isn't it though?

[Capt Dizle]

But for me you'd be discussing Thatcher so take it for what its worth.

[TheStinger]

Isembard Kingdom Brunel, designed the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, and the worlds first propeller driven ocean liner and 25 railway lines.

He is at least as deserving as the others on the short list

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Goingonit
Cretin!

What does the Canadian prime minister have to do with it?

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

More to the point of the list...the William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon, the one in all the paintings, didn't write the damn plays anyway. It was Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. He should be the one on the list, not the illiterate grain merchant.

Isn't verified. I've also heard it was Marlowe that wrote the plays.

I think that's become the Apolyton standard of being sane on an issue:

For the most part, yes . Generally the position opposite to Floyd is the sane one. Apolyton Rule 1224.45 (a)(5)

In an Literature course I took years back, the professor insisted that Shakespeare did indeed write the plays.

He also insisted that Shakespeare plagarized like hell from others, particularly Marlowe.

[The Mad Monk]

Cromwell (well, the memory of what he did and how he did it) had great influence on how the military was set up in the Constitution -- they wanted to make damn sure that another Cromwell couldn't rise here.

[DrSpike]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is completely justified........as anyone who knows anything about Britain will testify. I also can't believe someone questioned the inclusion of Cromwell.

I am ambivalent about the inclusion of Lennon; on balance it is probably fair.

Di/David Beckham, well I guess there may be a case for experts picking the shortlist before people vote.

No Adam Smith!

[Gary]

Apart from the two mentioned in the thread title, the others are there on merit.

Saw the first hour of the top 100 how last night. Have to say some choices were really strange. even if admittedly it's difficult to define greatness, and where to finally draw the line. But I mean.. Johnny Rotten ?!?!?

Personally I wouldn't be likely to even consider any music artiste, writer, sports-person. Sure they can be great within their field, but the field they are in doesn't compare in greatness to other areas.

[Timexwatch]

My two cents:

My readings of Marlowe pale compared to my reading of Shakespeare and earlier works, but I wouldn't be surprised if Marlowe actually had a significant influence. He died fairly early on in Shakespeare's career (by 1593 Shakespeare published The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry VI, 1,2,3 and Richard III). I'm not as well versed in these, so I couldn't make a textual comparison. My only basis I have to compare to Marlowe is Faustus, which I consider far too steeped in the vein of late Christian literature to really belong with Shakespearian works. A better person to call a literary contemporary to Marlowe would be, based on my limited readings Edmund Spenser, who's Faerie Queene was one of the last examples of heavily symbolic, early Protestant lit. Shakespeare, at least from all the plays that I've read, rarely touches upon Christianity and the Reformation as much as his contemporaries...

As to the identity of Mr. Shakespeare, I thought the latest consensus was that he was an English Nobleman whose pen name was Shakespeare. I'm surprised with the reliability of records back then that no researcher has been able to definitively find who was writing and publishing the plays...

P.S.

No Adam Smith!

Because he's a Scotsman.

P.P.S.

How about Watt? Is he on there? (I'm too lazy to read)

[DrSpike]

I thought it was allegedly Bacon that wrote some of the plays.

[TheStinger]

Timexwatch- as they are allowing Irishmen in the poll being a scotsman does not disqualify you.

The poll is a abou Great britons not Great Englishmen