Authorship debate Essay

Throughout the last century, a raging phenomenon known as the “Authorship Debate”, has come to light. It disputes whether Shakespeare himself wrote the plays and sonnets or if it was someone else writing under a pseudonym. There are countless theories of who the writer might actually be but the main suspects are Shakespeare himself, Edward de Vere, Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, William Stanley, Roger Manners, Sir Walter Raleigh and Mary Sidney Herbert (Pressley).

William Shakespeare moved to London. This is where he became an actor. He later had a theater built called the Globe where he had many of his plays performed. He has written around 38 plays, some of these plays are well known and famous. Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are very well known. William Shakespeare was one of the best actors, poets, and playwrights during the Elizabethan time period because his plays were well-written on the major theme of true love.

The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) and James I (ruled 1603–1625), and he was a

The large body of work attributed to William Shakespeare shows education, experience, creativity, and wisdom far beyond what many people are willing to accept came from a single author. Due to the scarcity of facts surrounding Shakespeare’s life, speculation arouse about whether or not he actually wrote his works became more common. In the mid-1800s ideas about other authors were brought forward. However, these theories have little sustenance, and it is likely that the entire body of work attributed to Shakespeare in fact belonged to Shakespeare himself.

      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

Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, all these well-known plays have one characteristic in common. They were all well written by William Shakespeare, or were they? Today many scholars doubt the authorship of William Shakespeare. With this doubt, many other problems about William Shakespeare begin to arise. The question of Shakespeare’s authorship initiates controversy about whether or not William Shakespeare wrote the famous works by “Shakespeare”.

William Shakespeare has immortalized himself through the timeless themes found in his works. This fame has encouraged the continuous and customary study of Shakespearean literature, often over that of his contemporaries. In an effort to analyze Shakespeare's works, scholars have tried to connect his personal life with the stories and characters he created. However, there is hardly any information to base this analysis on. With much ambiguity surrounding Shakespeare's educational and personal background, many scholars have been persuaded to ask the question: who wrote Shakespeare? The Shakespearean Authorship debate has long been studied by experts, and both the Stratfordian and Anti-Stratfordian positions have been taken; however, only the Stratfordian stance can provide sufficient literary and historical evidence.

For many centuries, there has been a controversy over whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays himself or whether another author wrote the works and gave him the credit. Shakespeare (1564-1616) is recorded to have written 37 plays and 154 sonnets, but the authorship of Shakespeare’s work has been disputed. There is valid reason to believe that Francis Bacon is the genuine author behind Shakespeare’s name. Bacon’s similar high status, numerous travels, and the Baconian theory are valuable reasons that give evidence to Bacon possibly being the author.

His Tragedies include: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus (Mabillard). Williams Histories include: 1, 2, and 3 Henry VI, 1 and 2 Henry IV, King John, Henry V, Henry VIII, Richard II, Richard III (Mabillard). Shakespeare moved to London England to pursue his career in playwriting and acting. During the time Shakespeare moved to London, it was having a Renaissance (Scmoop Editorial Team). London at the time wasn't exactly a place you would want to move to though; it was a very nasty and unclean place. A few years after William moved there the Bubonic Plague came through and shut down most of London's theatres (Scmoop Editorial Team). During the time the theatres were closed Shakespeare wrote two poems, "Venus and Adonis", and "The rape of Lucrece" (Scmoop Editorial Team). In 1954 the London theatre finally opened back up for business, and William bought part of one, which later became the favorite theatre of Queen Elizabeth. Shakespeare was in a group called "The Chamberlains Men", which had the chance to perform for the Queen (Scmoop Editorial Team). In 1599 the Globe theatre was built which was where many of Shakespeare's plays

His invented words are still being used by this generation today. “His development of world renowned writings, working as an actor and identification as england's national poet are 3 major accomplishments of William Shakespeare”. By the early 1590s documents show shakespeare was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain's men, an acting company in London. By 1599, William Shakespeare and his business partner built their own theatre on the south bank of Thames River which they called it The Globe. In 1609, his sonnets were published and in 1611 he returned to Stratford where his wife and daughters lived.

Shakespeare is one of the most famous dramatist and poet in England. His literature works have been translated into more than 80 languages. He is the England's pride, and the world's treasure because he not only helped to shape the English we use today, introducing up to 300 words and dozens of well-known phrases but also wrote plays that are known around the world for their universal themes and insight into the human condition. However historians don’t know his date of birth, where he was educated or how he spent seven years of his life and even the playwright of his play is a mystery.

In 1564, William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (Hazell 32). It seems that Shakespeare’s career began around the year 1592. This was a tough time for playwrights and actors. There was an outbreak of the bubonic plague which caused concerns for those wanting to watch because of being surrounded by those potentially

Shakespeare’s authorship is being called into question. Reasonings include, multiple indecipherable signatures, the lack of a poet or playwright reputation and missing records. Shakespeare only has six signatures and all can be found on legal documents. Although he is claimed to be a reputable poet, he never had a poet or playwright reputation. There are suspiciously no signatures on any of his works, which creates no record of him being a true author. This evidence leads one to believe he is not an author, but rather a plagiarist. Many authors believe he is still the author with arguments such as the signatures could be a result of different ways to spell the name, or the reputation debate is because he performed in London, but was a businessman

When anyone says Shakespeare’s glorified name aloud, almost everyone instantly knows exactly who he is. Romeo and Juliet, all the famous quotes, and everything about Shakespeare makes him the finest example of a British poet and the most well-known playwright and writer around the world. But, to quote Shakespeare himself, “What’s in a name?” Did William Shakespeare really write his 37 plays and 154 sonnets all by himself and in such a short period? Or was it someone else, more prestigious and educated, who simply used a pen name to remain anonymous? Personally, before this project, I didn’t even know Anti-Stratfordian theories existed and that people doubted the Shakespeare authorship, so I am neutral on the debate of whether he really did

William Shakespeare is known to be the “greatest English-speaking writer in history” and an England’s national poet, actor, and an extremely successful playwright. During Shakespeare’s acting career in London, he started writing all about “European geography, culture, and diverse personalities (History.com).” Willm Shakspere or William Shakspeare, as written by him, then went on to write plays. His first three plays were all created around or a little before 1592 and captured the core studied categories; tragedy (Titus Andronicus), comedy (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew), and history (Henry VI trilogy and Richard III). He wrote plays and sonnets for many theater companies, was one of the main playwrights for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which was renamed the King’s Men when James I was in charge, and formed the Globe theater in 1599 with other partners. Shakespeare’s unique language, themes, verses, format, characters, and plots makes his writing universal to every culture and time period. Shakespeare is still taught in school nowadays due to its’ educational and transitional purposes. Shakespeare continues to influence modern-day life and I believe will for a long time to come.