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Essays on william shakespeare and the authorship debate
How shakespeare influences modern culture
Essay on when and why did the authorship of Shakespeare's plays come into question
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In one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, he writes his lead character Juliet these lines: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other word would smell as sweet." (2. 2.43–44). Many people dedicate their entire careers studying Shakespeare's life and his work. Naturally, with research, arises evidence to support and also disprove a subject. The question on if William Shakespeare wrote the works he is widely accredited for is a very triggering one. This inquiry has become a huge debate among Shakespearean scholars for at least a century. As well as at times, often caused an obsession for many of them. Is William Shakespeare the true author of the works that bear his name? The thought of these profound …show more content…
There is evidence to suggest that Shakespeare is a fraud; however, there is also more logical evidence to support that William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon is the Shakespeare who wrote those great pieces. William Shakespeare is the true author of his works because there are holes in the opposing theories, his distinct writing style, and the fact that that not all great stories are not from high class people. and …….
The article, “The Shakespearean Puzzle”, by Raymond Schuessler, provides various theories of different men anti-Stratfordians believe could be the real Shakespeare. The leading candidates for the true author are Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Edward de Vere (Lord Oxford). Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was an Attorney General of England and was knowledgeable in writing scholastic essays during Shakespeare’s timeline.
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Literary devices such as the mood, style, and even the subject of the piece completely impact the audience feelings. So, many great writers like Shakespeare are noted on how they write. Shakespeare is known for using blank verse and iambic pentameter to create his sonnets and plays. In the TedTalk video, "Did Shakespeare write his plays?" written by Natalya St. Clair and Aaron Williams, it introduces a method called a linguist method called: Stylometry. Stylometry stems from linguists, studies the writer's style and characteristics. This information supports William Shakespeare as the true author because it compares his literature to the nominees' work. Based on characteristics of the candidates to Shakespeare, the author of the work is William Shakespeare. Stylometrics, however, suspect the Christopher Marlowe did collaborate with Shakespeare on Henry VI in parts one and two. That could account for some of their similar writing styles of the
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.
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 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.
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.
William Shakespeare has become landmark in English literature. One must be familiar with the early days of English literature in order to comprehend the foundation of much of more modern literature’s basis. Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. The success of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the example for the development of modern dramas and plays. He is also acknowledged for being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in his writings.
Now around fifty years later stylometrists have a promising way to identify an author’s “authorial signature” (Vuolo). Using stylometry scholars have concluded that Shakespeare collaborated with other playwrights. Nearly half of Shakespeare’s final ten plays were collaborations, such as Two Noble Kinsmen with John Fletcher (Knapp). A few years ago the title of collaboration befell some of Shakespeare’s early works, such as Titus Andronicus and Henry VI, Part I through stylometry (Knapp). It is highly unlikely that an Elizabethan nobleman would collaborate with a common
I deemed the work reliable since this was part of yet another well known media franchise, and the author, David Bevington, is a respected professor of English language and literature at Chicago University. Unlike the past two articles I had utilized, this piece was positively written by a stratfordian, as it denounced many theories rebuking William Shakespeare as the sole author of his proclaimed literary works. Bevington began by initially disproving one of the most popular theoretical alternative authors, The Earl Of Oxford. Many Anti-stratfordians claim that he was the true author of the writing, however the author of this third article proves that as false since The Earl died in 1604, before some of the more famous plays were written including Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Henry VIII. He continues to abolish the anti-stratfordian claim that Shakespeare’s lack of education disqualifies him, which is ultimately ludicrous since other famous playwrights of the same era, such as John Webster and Thomas Dekker, also did not receive a high education. He went on to revile the claim that Shakespeare's authorship is uncredible due to the lack of handwriting samples and manuscripts. Bevington explained how other playwrights rivaling Shakespeare, including Christopher
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
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.
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.