Shakespeare, the man who wrote 37 plays and more than a hundred sonnets, is known throughout the world. Many people consider him one of the best English playwrights of our time, others say that he was a genius. William Shakspere was born in Stratford-upon Avon in 1564 and died in 1616 at the age of 52. In the mid-19th century, questions had arisen about the Shakespeare authorship controversy, and many scholars wondered whether Shakspere, the man from Stratford, wrote the plays. Ralph W. Emerson once said, ?I can not ?marry? Shakspere?s life to Shakespeare?s work? (qtd. in Bethell 48). In many ways, he was right, some things just did not link up. Many people started noticing this thus two opposing sides were formed. Those who believed that the Stratford man did not write the plays and sonnets called themselves the anti-Stratfordians. Although many believed that Shakspere was not the true author of the works, others strongly supported him. Those that believed that ?the Stratford man? was the real playwright became known as the Stratfordians. 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. There are many obstacles facing Shakspere that challenge his ... ... middle of paper ... ...ided excellent education that included learning the Greek and Latin languages. They also tell us that other writers, like John Webster and Thomas Dekker, were well educated whether or not they went to a university (Bevington 2). Many other Stratfordians believed that Shakspere possessed transcendent genius. Whether or not he was, one could conclude that William Shakspere from Stratford was the real author of Shakespeare?s works. Many people say that it does not matter who wrote the plays because they would not change if the author was someone else. I disagree. You can understand more of the work if you know the author?s background and the things he or she experienced. Randall Sherman said, ?To say it does not matter is to say that biography does not matter. Once you understand who wrote it and why, the plays take on a whole new dynamic and meaning? (I-Chin Tu 2).
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.
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.
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.
In another attempt to find evidence to confirm or deny that Shakespeare authored his plays, who else could have written the plays must be considered. To illustrate, Steven Dutch writes, “Bacon Fra...
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).
Doubts about the true composer of Shakespeare’s works generally arise from the fact that there is no logical match between the working-class William Shaksper of Stratford and the work, and the absence of proper documentation that connect him to any of the works. According to Volker Multhopp in his essay “Why I am not a Stratfordian,” “This man achieved the absolute pinnacle of English literature in an era when class was paramount, yet his own origin was absolutely ordinary-- middle class” (1). According to the Oxford Society in the “Shakespeare Authorship FAQ,” “Nothing about the Stratford man rings true: his character, his background, his education, his family, his friends, his behavior towards his debtors and his neighbors, his recorded conversation and his attitude to money and property” (1). With all of the evidence pointed against the Stratford man as being the author of the world’s greatest literature, Stratfordians claim that the consequential details of his life pointing against him merely make him an unmitigated genius.
Born on approximately April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, William Shakespeare is considered by many to have been the greatest writer the English language has ever known. His literary legacy included 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and five major poems. Among his many plays is the notable, Twelfth Night, a romantic comedy, placed in a festive atmosphere in which three couples are brought together happily.
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 scholars have concluded from this lack and from Shakespeare's modest education that his plays were actually written by someone else-Francis Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two most popular candidates. The evidence for this claim, however, is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and few take the theory very seriously. [IMAGE] In the absence of definitive proof to the contrary,
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.
MrCrea, Scott. The Case for Shakespeare: The End of the Authorship Question. Westport: Praegar, 2005. Print.
Many people have heard of the name William Shakespeare, or at least read some of his great literary works. However, there are some people who believe that the great William Shakespeare did not write everything that was acclaimed to him. This theory is the basis for the Authorship question, the question of whether or not William Shakespeare wrote all of his literature or did someone else write it under his name. The authorship question has garnered a lot of attention over the years and many a writer of the period has been believed to be the ghost writer behind Shakespeare. Even many respected authors and scholars believe that William Shakespeare did not write his own works; however, there remains a lack of evidence and a lot of guess-work in
The question of Shakespeare’s authorship is the idea that the identity of Shakespeare could potentially represent the author or authors, and is not the author himself. The works of Shakespeare are considered to be one of the great literary works in history. All the works of Shakespeare were written between about 1590 and 1613. While we know the date most of his works were written the true author of all his work is still up for debate. Poor recording of Shakespeare’s life and the exact authorship of his plays in general is what leads to the question of the authorship.
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.