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Life and works of shakespeare essay
The life and works of William Shakespeare
The life and works of William Shakespeare
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In recent years the "Shakespearean conspiracy theory" has created a monumental amount of controversy among the literary world. The source of this controversy lies in the single question of whether or not Shakespeare is the genuine author of his renowned plays and sonnets. Prominent authorship candidates have surfaced, including, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Jumana Farouksy, a writer for Times Magazine, states in her article, The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity, that over three hundred Shakespeare skeptics "have made a public plea" and that, "this conspiracy will refuse to die." These bold stances against Shakespeare’s authenticity, taken by historians, professors and writers draws legitimate debate from this conspiracy. The Shakespeare …show more content…
Edward de Vere was born in Essex, at the de Vere’s estate of Castle Hedingham.
The soon to be 17th Earl of Oxford, was born into wealth and involuntary success with his father being John de Vere, the 16th earl of Oxford, and his mother Margery Golding. His mother Margery, was the half-sister of Arthur Golding, famed for being the first man to translate Ovid’s Metamorphosis into the English language. Throughout Golding’s life, he translated over thirty works from Latin into English. It is significant that Golding was a tutor of de Vere, while Ovid’s, Metamorphoses is recognized as one of the most influential works of literature upon shakespeare's writing. According to documented sources, de Vere’s strict daily routine began at 7 o’clock every morning with dancing lessons, French and Latin studies, writing exercises, common prayers, and cosmography. After dinner he would have free time to practice shooting, riding, and proper court life. This type of disciplined education would prepare any child for future success as an intellectual. De Vere attended the University of Cambridge known to be the Queen's College. He later was awarded the Master of the Arts from both Oxford and Cambridge universities. Following his university studies, he received legal training, becoming advanced in law and government,
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De Vere’s education, travels and experience with court life all are contributions to the brilliance behind these plays and sonnets. Jumana Farouksy, makes a legitimate point in her article, The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity. Her point is that this conspiracy will never cease to present itself within the educational and literary world. The mystery behind Shakespeare's writings is no longer a mystery. William Shakespeare does not possess the qualifications to be the genuine author of these renowned plays and sonnets, and De Vere is the prominent candidate. Charles Dickens once said, The life of Shakespeare is a fine mystery and I tremble every day lest something turn up.” Shakespeare’s life still remains unexplainable, but the fact that he is not the true author can be explained. The contrasting childhood upbringing between Shakespeare and de Vere is automatic evidence supporting the anti-stratfordian view. The strong opinions against Shakespeare’s authenticity, taken by historians, professors and writers draws even more attention to Edward de Vere. The anti-stratfordian view stands strong in the fact that Shakespeare is simply an instrument used to hide the true identity of Edward de
William Shakespeare is possibly the greatest English writer every to live. Many people all around the world enjoy reading his plays. Often in his plays, Shakespeare describes things like lifestyle and laws of his time period. However, some people claim that Shakespeare’s plays are not historically accurate and therefore, mislead the people who read his plays. So how can one determine if Shakespeare is accurate or not? Well, one could ask, what was the social class like, what personal experiences did Shakespeare have, and what were some laws that governed the time.
Goldstein,Gary. "The Life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (1550-1604)" Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Anniina Jokinen, 3rd of June 1999. Web. 25th of April 2014.
In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten.
Edward de Vere was the Lord Great Chamberlain and the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. He was raised as a Royal Ward and from a very young age was educated in the sports and arts of nobility. Although disgraceful for a nobleman to waste time writing frivolous plays, Oxford as a young man wrote and staged the entertainment for the court. As an adult, he became engrossed in theatrical performances and frittered away his fortunes in support of several writers and actors (Friedman 13). During this time, De Vere also began writing several poems and plays. Much like Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name of Mark Twain, Oxford adopted the pseudonym Shakespeare. Soon after plays appeared under the name of "Shakespeare," poems by de Vere ceased (Russell 5). Coincidently, the coat of arms of Lord Bulbeck, a third title of Edward de Vere, is a lion shaking a spear (Ogburn 10). De Vere was also known by the people as the "spear-shaker" because of excellence at the tilts and at jousting (Russell 5).
Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets are big contributors to today's literature, but we still don't know the truth about who actually wrote them. There is many conspiracy theories that suggest William Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays, some believe William Stanley, Christopher Marlowe, or Edward de Vere may have have just used William Shakespeare as a pen name. Each theory has good points but they also all have parts that are not possible and don't make sense. What theory is true may never be answered due to the fact that the events happened so many years ago and there isn't much documentation from shakespeare's time.
Perhaps the reason that Shakespeare’s works have not been attributed to any other man would attest to the fact that scholars are not willing to accept the implications that the man celebrated to be the world’s most ingenious literary figure is not, in fact, who he was thought to be. However, the search for evidence leading to the true author will continue out of the ethical implications that credit must be given to the true author of the world’s greatest literature.
Many people claim, from the Shakespearean era, that it was enough to have the education that Shakespeare had to be a successful poet but why did Shakespeare have to cheat his way though? The writing in of Shakespeare's works had many phrases from Edward de Vere’s
“Oxford Authorship Argument.” Absolute Shakespeare. 2000-2005. The Oxford arguments: Why Shakespeare could not have authored his works. http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/authorship/authorship_oxford_arguments.htm
The works of Shakespeare are some of the most respected in English literature. They have set the standard for all the great writers who followed. Although these works have been attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford, they could have been written by anyone. The definite authorship of a work is always uncertain, but these works are particularly contested. There are those who believe someone besides Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the works, while others believe his identity, as a whole, is a conspiracy. Clearly the author of a work is important, but some wonder if knowing the author’s identity is really worth all the fuss. The works of Shakespeare will still reign at the top of English literature no matter who wrote them. Therefore, the question of authorship may not even be relevant.
MrCrea, Scott. The Case for Shakespeare: The End of the Authorship Question. Westport: Praegar, 2005. Print.
“William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was and English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist” (vodppl.upm.edu 2). He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, he also passed away in his hometown. “When Shakespeare died in 1616 the event was barely noticed” (Epstein 7). “Shakespeare’s family was initially prosperous but began having financial difficulties in the 1570’s” (Allen 325). “Shakespeare gained his education by attending the local grammar school, King’s New School, where the curriculum stressed a classic education of Greek mythology and roman comedy”(shakespeareinamericancomunites.org 1). He never carried his educational career to a higher level as in a university. “William Shakespeare was not recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright until 1592” (Allen 346).
Introduction Shakespeare is widely regarded as the world’s greatest playwright, and there’s no real reason to dispute that. People are still seeing his plays 400 years after he wrote them, not because it’s “trendy” or “hip,” but because they’re so good. His insight into the human spirit has never been equal. This paper is a brief biography of Shakespeare and a discussion of the times in which he lived. Discussion His life: It’s somewhat difficult to find factual information about Shakespeare, because the “first attempts at biographical research were not begun until over half a century after Shakespeare’s death” (Best, 2005).
Shakespeare Studies 11 (1978): 53-76. MLA International Bibliography. Web. The Web. The Web.
England's most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom all died young. His father became Mayor in 1568, after serving on the town council for many years.
William Shakespeare’s life has brought much curiosity to many. This is natural as he is considered to be the greatest figure of English Literature. William Shakespeare, in terms of his life and work, is the most written-about author in the history of Western civilization. His works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, the First of which was published after his death in 1623 by two of Shakespeare's acting companions, John Heminges and Henry Condell. Since then, the works of Shakespeare have been studied, analyzed, and enjoyed as some of the finest work of art in the English language.