Thirty-eight plays have been written under the name “Shakespeare” (Jamieson). Many people believe that William Shakespeare of Stratford was the only person who wrote these plays, and others insist he had nothing to do with their success. The evidence, however, continuously points to the idea that both William Shakespeare of Stratford and Edward de Vere wrote plays and sonnets under the pen name “Shakespeare,” but he did have the capability to write some of these plays.
The most commonly referred-to person that people believe wrote the Shakespearean plays is Edward de Vere (De Vere). Although he could have written a few of these plays, the fact remains that he died almost 20 years before Shakespeare’s last plays were finished and published. Edward de Vere’s education was far superior to that of Shakespeare’s; for this reason, he was more than capable of writing the works contributed to Shakespeare before his death.
Most of the theories revolving de Vere claim that he did not know Shakespeare, or that William Shakespeare of Stratford never actually existed. Shakespeare and de Vere did know each other, however. William Shakespeare was a menber of the Chamberlain’s Men and de Vere was a member of the competing troupe, Oxford’s Boys. Not only did they perform plays in hopes of drawing more attention to their respective troupes, they each had part ownership of competing theaters. Shakespeare owned part of The Globe, and De Vere was a leaseholder of the Blackfriars Theatre (De Vere). They were competitors, and they were not supposed to like each other in the public’s eyes, which made the perfect cover up. They did know each other. They knew that they both were great writers, but the difference was that Shakespeare was legally able t...
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... De Vere, Earl of Oxford (1550-1604)." Editorial. Elizabethan Review n.d.: n. pag. The Life of Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (1550-1604). Elizabethan Review. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Jamieson, Lee. "How Many Plays Did Shakespeare Write?" About.com Shakespeare. About.com, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Mabillard, Amanda. "Did Shakespeare Really Write the Plays?" Shakespeare Online. N.p., 20 Aug. 2000. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Murphy, William M. "Thirty-Six Plays in Search of an Author." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 1964. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Richter, Tom, and David Kathman. "How We Know That Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare: The Historical Facts." Shakespeare Authorship. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
"William Shakespeare." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
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Next, Shakespeare had also impacted many other writers at his time and still to this day. He influenced the writers in many ways. Many others have used phrases from Shakespeare's work for their own titles or for own novels they write. The authors thought his work was so unique they wanted to use some of it for their work. There have been dozens of movies based on Shakespeare and his work. The first one was in 1899 and since then many authors have made a movie about him (Mabillard). Many writers are inspired by Shakespeare and his work. His stories surpass time and culture which is a reason to why authors continue to adapt his work. An author named John Keats wrote a poem he would keep Shakespeare's works next to him for influence (Acevedo).
His widow Anne died in 1623 and was buried beside him. Shakespeare wrote comedy, history, tragedy and poetry. In 1954, on average Shakespeare wrote 2 plays a year. His success in London made him very wealthy. The king then decided to sponsor his theatre company
Stevenson, Alexa. “Probing Question: Did Shakespeare Really Write All Those Plays?” News. N.p. 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate. He fits the time period, had the power, writting background and a secret hierarchy group of literary writers. Francis Bacon was born in 1561 and he died in 1626. The first Folio of Shakespear was released in 1623. The first play was written around 1589-1591. This puts Bacon within the time period to be responsible for the plays. Unlike Shakespeare or Edward de vere. Shakespeare died in 1616 and the highly edited folio was released 7 years after the death of Shakespeare. Similarly Edward de Vere died in 1604 and was not around to do the extensive editing that had taken place by the time of the first folio. If it was edited by others who were not in charge of the plays I concede that this would have been Plagiarism and disrespecting an authors work shortly after their deaths. Whom I believe they respected and would not have done unless they were a part of the work.
By using just the right combination of words, or by coming up with just the right image, Shakespeare wrote many passages and entire plays that were so powerful, moving, tragic, comedic, and romantic that many are still being memorized and performed today, almost four centuries later. But the greatness of Shakespeare’s ability lies not so much in the basic themes of his works but in the creativity he used to write these stories of love, power, greed, discrimination, hatred, and tragedy.
	Edward de Vere of Oxford lived from 1550 to 1604. In the duration of that time, he was a young nobleman, a poet, and a lover of the theatre, but was also probably a great playwright who has yet to receive full credit for the plays he composed. De Vere witnessed first hand the inner workings of nobility. He traveled throughout Europe, completed his education at Cambridge University, studied the law at Gray’s Inn, and had abundant knowledge of historical occurrences and literary works (Russell 4). These are not only elements in the works attributed to William Shakespeare, but also are things which William Shakespeare of Stratford England knew nothing of. Who wrote the Shakespearean sonnets and plays? There is only one answer to this pivotal question – Edward de Vere of Oxford England.
WORKS CITED Meyer, Michael, ed., pp. 113 Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, John J., 2001. o Joan Murray, "Play-By-Play".
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as on the of the best playwrights and poets to have ever existed. “It is a widely speculated topic that William Shakespeare did not write the poems and that up to about 50 other poets could have writen them.”("Shakespeare facts: Read," 2011) “William Shakespeare is the second most quoted writer in the english language.” ("Shakespeare facts: Read," 2011) It is widely speculated that the true Shakespeare is actually Edward De Vere. I firmlybelieve Shakespeare was not the true playwright because of his lack of education, lack of upper class etiquette, and the different penmanship over time.
“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).
William Shakespeare born in 1564 is famously known as one of the most influential writers of all time; he conjured up many breathtaking plays during his lifetime. One of Shakespeare most successful plays was the tragedy Macbeth. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular play writer of all time. In this famous play Shakespeare has portrayed Macbeth as respectable noble man however he is motivated to go down the path of dishonesty and crime.
Pressley, J.M. . "Shakespeare's Biography." Shakespeare Resource Center. Shakespeare Resource Center, n.d. Web. 5 Nov 2013.
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.