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The historical context of Shakespeare's writing
William shakespeare authorship debate
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Over the past few decades, there's been controversy over whether or not Shakespeare is the real author of his plays. Shakespeare is famously known for his work including, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. Throughout his work it is clear to see his originality and his extensive education. Some people may use this against him and say that it is impossible for someone of his status to write so greatly about politics and be able to use such character. Through stylometry, proof of his education, the actors, and the death of one of the alleged authors, it is proven that Shakespeare is, in fact, the real and rightful owner of his work. Although there are some pieces of evidence that prove otherwise, it is clear to see that Shakespeare wrote his plays. …show more content…
Clair and Williams). Stylometry is the study of writing style and technique. It is used to find and give credit to the author of given works. Researchers spent a long time analyzing the unique writing to see if Shakespeare is the author of his works. As it turned out, Shakespeare is the author. They compared it to the said to be authors and the writing did not match their writing. This proves that Shakespeare was the writer of his plays and poems. Second, it has been proven that Shakespeare received a good education. He attended King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon (Did Shakespeare Write His Plays?). As a child, he was specifically schooled in Latin and grammer. This gives him the background he needs to be the author of his plays. Third, he collaborated with other writers which would explain how he got so much done is such little time. He wrote a total of 37 plays and was provenly assisted in 11 (Shakespeareauthorship). Some of his collaborators were George Wilkins, Thomas Middleton, and John Fletcher. Since he had help, this proves he would have had time to write his
It is thought that since everyone in Shakespeare’s family was uneducated that he also would not have had proper schooling and would be uneducated. If shakespeare was uneducated he could not have written 198 pieces of work ranging from sonnets, poems, and plays. With a vocabulary of over 13,000 words used overall in all of his pieces of work combined, if he was uneducated it is completely impossible for him to have written all of the plays, poems, and sonnets.
Kathman, Dave and Tom Reedy. "How we know the Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare: The Historical Facts." Online. 2 November 1999. Available http: www.clark.net/pub/tross/ws/howdowe.html.
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.
Wheeler, Kip L. “Did Shakespeare Really Write Shakespeare?” Http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/shake_did_Write_plays.html. N.p. 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
When education is concerned, no one truly knew whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays. According to the article “The Education of William Shakespeare”, “William Shakespeare would have attended King Edwards VI Grammar school in Stratford-Upon-Avon.” ("The Education Of William Shakespeare” sec. 1). On the contrary, an article written by Dutch Steven states, “Shakespeare was not educated enough and Stratford- Upon-Avon was too backward of a place to have produced a play write of such caliber.” (Dutch, Steven para. 1). Needless to say, the true education of William Shakespeare cannot be determined because the evidence proving his schooling contradicts itself. If the true records of Shakespeare’s education were found, would it prove he wrote the plays? Why are the records of his education scrambled and inconclusive? This leads readers to believe different stories that may or may not be valid. Therefore, there is not solid evidence that Shakespeare had a strong enough education to author such elaborate plays. To conclude, there is not solid evidence that Shakespeare authored the plays.
In 1564, a man was born by the name of William Shakespeare. He was born to a poor family, was given little education, and had no interaction with sophisticated society. Thirty-eight plays and over 150 sonnets are not attributed to this ignorant man. Those who believe that Shakespeare was the author have no definitive proof but instead point to Hamlet’s declaration: "The play’s the thing(Satchell 71)." The true author, however, lies hidden behind he name of Shakespeare. Edward de Vere the premier Earl of Oxford is not only considered a great poet in history, but he may also be the great playwright who concocted the sonnets and plays which are now attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford, England.
Hechinger, Paul. A. Did Shakespeare Really Write His Plays? A Few Theories Examined. " BBC America. The. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011.
One of the largest mysteries of current time is the debate over who the author of the plays commonly attributed to William Shakespeare really is. Commonly termed as the “authorship problem,” many skeptics believe that the William Shaksper of Stratford (the spelling of his name originally) could not have been the true composer of the plays he is traditionally attributed with. Although the thought of someone besides Shakespeare composing the plays is not popular with the American and European world, there are excessive theories concerning the truth behind the possibility of the works being authentically his.
It is often a subject of debate amongst literary scholars and to this day it is a great mystery to the world. This question has many possible answers. Among the most likely are Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and, of course, William Shakespeare. There are a few other mentioned possibilities, but there is so little evidence for them that they do not appear worthy of mention. Each of the proposed authors have different traits and their own pieces of evidence suggesting that they are the true authors of Shakespeare, but only one theory can be true, or can they? Is it possible that there is more than one author of Shakespeare's work? These lead to the biggest question, however. Who really wrote the famous works of Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare is considered one of best playwright/poet of all time. Shakespeare's date of birth is unknown but he is believed to be born around April 23, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613, his works were mainly comedies and historical these works remain regarded as some of the best work produced in these genres (Wikipedia). Starting roughly 1594 he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of theatrical players. Written records give little ideas of the way in which Shakespeare’s professional life molded his artistry. All that can be shown is that over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
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
Ever since the author's background has been questioned, scholars and other people have debated over who wrote the famous plays and sonnets that have the name William Shakespeare signed on them. Many alternative candidates have been presented, such as Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. However, these people do not have strong or valid arguments to support their theories. Based on biographical evidence, Shakespeare, not Edward de Vere, most likely wrote Shakespearean works. The arguments for other candidates like de Vere are not strong enough to show that Shakespeare did not write Shakespearean works.
So to conclude, we can safely agree with most academics that William Shakespeare did exist and that he did indeed write the 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him.
Is Shakespeare REALLY Shakespeare? Scholars think that he was not a real man and another person just used his name to put on the writings. According to some researchers, Shakespeare was not a writer, he was actually an illiterate actor by the name of William Shaxper who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shaxper grew up in an illiterate house and there is no record that he ever traveled outside of England. Despite this information, some historians believe that Shakespeare was the real author but evidence proves that there could be another author.