Edward De Vere Research Paper

Edward de Vere, also referred to as the Earl of Oxford, is widely considered the most probable candidate for the authorship. De Vere was a poet and known as the patron of writers, keeping his own troupe of actors and was known as the "Italian Earl" after his travels. He was mostly lost to history until the 1920s, “when J. Thomas Looney claimed the earl was the real Shakespeare; an increasing number of books have been published surrounding this theory” (“Edward de Vere - Biography”). Since J. Thomas Looney’s first claim, this theory gathered friction, now known as the “Oxfordian Theory”. Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. 1575.

Oxfordians claim Edward De Vere was perhaps the most qualified to write all of Shakespeare’s works. Similarly

“…In view of plays like The Merchant of Venice, which discussed the law, De Vere studied law at Gray's Inn… [there is evidence that] clearly showed that Edward De Vere had an extensive library underlining his qualifications to write as knowledgeably as Shakespeare,” (De Vere Authorship Argument) further supporting the Oxfordian view. De Vere had also traveled to Italy in his early life, putting him in a prime position to write knowledgeably about Venice that Shakespeare wrote about in both The Merchant of Venice and Othello (Shapiro

Both the Oxfordian and Baconian theory fail for one simple reason: the evidence is subjective. The “Shakespeare theory” doesn’t need to be twisted because the evidence is there. In fact, on the plays it states they were written by William Shakespeare. The name “’William Shakespeare’ has none of the characteristics of a pseudonym; it was the real name of a person…,” and ”… there is no indication in the historical record that anybody ever suspected it of being a pseudonym…” (Reedy & Kathman). There have also been many public remarks about Shakespeare’s abilities, as well as some of his later plays being registered in the Stationers Registry. These many comments by his friends put to rest the idea that he was not relevant to his immediate history. Shakespeare wrote in collaboration several times in his career. It is doubtful that if he had really been a nobleman like the Earl of Oxford that he would have collaborated with the common playwrights of the time (Knapp). The fact that there are no claims amid the writers and actors of Shakespeare’s period that anyone but Shakespeare acted and wrote his vast collection is plenty of evidence defending his