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.
One theory that many people believe is that Christopher Marlowe wrote as Shakespeare to get out of a tricky situation.
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Edward and Shakespeare had a lot in common including the way they wrote their plays and the time period that they were writing . Edward had the right education to be able to write like Shakespeare sense he graduated from Cambridge University at the age of fourteen. After his graduation he advanced even further by studying law at Gray's Inn and he he became a master of the arts at sixteen. This would explain Shakespeare's writing about law matter. He also traveled a lot, including Venice which would explain Shakespeare's writing talking about Venice even though he never left England. Once he grew up he became a manager of his acting troupe called Oxford’s Boys and then later on became a leaseholder of the Blackfriars Theatre which was a rival of the globe at the …show more content…
The people that believe this thought that the codes implicated the Edward was the author. Many others believe that parts of Shakespeare's writing referred to Edwards life. When Shakespeare said “Young men falling out at tennis” could have been referred to was Edwards tennis match with Sydney when Edward had no mercy. Another similarity between the plays and Edward's life was that in 1573 Edward and his friends would play tricks on travelers on one certain road and in one of Shakespeare's plays Prince Hal walks down the same road. The main point of this theory is that Edward may have wrote as Shakespeare to avoid aristocratic convention. He may have got the idea for his new was based off name by using his nickname which was spear-shaker. The main problem with this theory however is that Edward died many years before Shakespeare's writing
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.
Abstract: The debate over the legitimacy of the authorship of Shakespearean works has been disputed for centuries. While many scholars have held beliefs that Shakespeare's works have been written by figures such as Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, William Stanley, and others, the most heated debate today is between William Shakespeare and Edward DeVere, the Earl of Oxford. Each side of this debate has many followers, the Stratfordians, or those who claim Shakespeare to be the true author, and the Oxfordians who believe that true credit should go to DeVere. My paper, far from being a complete analysis of the possibilities of Shakespearean authorship, attempts to summarize and rationalize the arguments of these two groups. It would be impossible to include all arguments and evidence in a paper such as this. Full books have been written on aspects of the debate I will not even mention, or may just barely touch on. Hopefully after reading this paper, however, you will have a little better understanding of the debate of authorship. As I am not in any respect a scholar on the subject I shall not attempt to make a conclusion as to which of these men is the author, but rather to inform and explain the many arguments on both sides of this debate in the hopes that the reader can learn a little more about the ongoing debate and form an opinion of his or her own.
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.
“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).
The point of this research paper is to prove that Francis Bacon was Shakespeare. However, the fact of who really wrote the writings of Shakespeare is still unknown today. Many researchers have come up with a list of candidates that have the traits or characteristics of Shakespeare. The list includes Queen Elizabeth I, Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlow, and William Stanley. There is even a possibility of William Shakespeare being the actual writer of his works.
This was very hard to do (Levi 148). When Shakespeare was known, he had almost no competition so he was able to not write as much and still be successful (Levi 144).
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
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.
Many new questions have developed out of the theory that William Shakspere was not the real author of the plays. Perhaps the most important was that if Shakspere did not write these works, then who did. Many scholars have discussed this over the years, and as many as 58 potential candidates have been picked to have been the real Shakespeare. Many subgroups developed out of the anti-Stratfordians like the Oxfordians, that believed Edward de Vere was the real Shakespeare, and the Baconians, who supported Francis Bacon. Although there are many theories about this subject, not one of them can be said to be the right one without proof.
William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most prominent playwrights; however, some say that he does not fully deserve the credit for his work because he plagiarized the works of others. Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford upon Avon in 1564, is also known as the “Bard” and has written countless plays and poems which have given rise to countless novels and movie plots (Chandy). It is said that he found a great deal of his inspiration from nature, as he mentions birds in his works more than any other author (Mabillard). Shakespeare supporters might say that he found inspiration from the works of others such as Holinshed and other English historians (Mabillard) rather than plagiarizing.
The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeares authorship is the theory that Edward De Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford, wrote the plays that were accredited to William Shakespeare of Stratford. Oxfordians believe he is the writer behind William Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets because of his talent as a poet and playwright and his contacts with Queen Elizabeth I and The Earl of Southampton. His academic achievements and his extensive travels along with the different languages he knows supports the evidence that Edward De Vere is the Author of the plays. Edward De Vere grew up as the earl of oxford because his father died when he was a boy. Edward received degrees from oxford University and Cambridge University. He also studied at Gray’s Inn where many plays took place. Edward was very good at writing plays and his contacts with Queen Elizabeth and The Earl of Southapton were very helpful with getting his plays out and public. The name William Shakespeare was just a pen name that was used by Edward De Vere to cover up his identity because playwriting was “beneath the dignity of nobility. Powerful people, like Lord Burghley, and even Queen Elizabeth, would have been embarrass...
Since the four centuries that have passed since Shakespeare’s times, several theories have been developed which claim that others may be the legitimate authors of his works. The playwrights usually focused on are Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, William Stanley, Roger Manners and Christopher Marlowe. Other theories support the fact that perhaps sev...
Shakespeare’s works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established. The unprecedented admiration garnered by his works led to a fierce curiosity about Shakespeare’s life, but the dearth of biographical information has left many details of Shakespeare’s personal history shrouded in mystery. Some people have concluded from this fact and from Shakespeare’s modest education that Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by someone else—Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two most popular -candidates—but the support for this claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and the theory is not taken seriously by many scholars.
William Shakespeare is a fraud. Whoever wrote the plays Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and many more plays was a phenomenal writer. He or she was able to rhyme, use iambic pentameter, use puns, and was able to contribute 1,200 at minimum of the English language in one play itself. Which Williams Shakespeare was clearly unable to write these plays. Many people believe he wrote the plays that are in his name but as research shows he did not have the right education, he did not have the means, motive, or opportunity, and he did not publish any of his plays while he was alive.
William Shakespeare is famous all around the world for his playwrights but is he really the one who wrote them or did someone else. You may be wondering where you would come up with such an accusation. Well, there is evidence that supports that William Shakespeare wrote his plays and there is also information supporting the other side of the argument that is claiming that Shakespeare didn’t write his plays.