Controversy Of Shakespeare

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 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

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.

Among writers and historians, the lack of historical evidence about the life of William Shakespeare has been the main cause of much controversy. Many people doubt that if he was the author of such shocking and transcendental pieces of literature. As a result, the uncertainty that surrounds the authenticity of his persona has increased. Since his childhood, there is no record of Shakespeare attending primary or even university studies. Compared with many other poets and writers his literary training was scarce and his social position was not very favorable to access some kind of help. Many people tend to argue that a man with such a low academic level would be able to possess the rigorous legal, historical and mathematical knowledge that is

Stating that shakespeare's works were written by the Earl of Oxford due to the fact that according to the “anti-Stratfordians (as the authorship doubters are sometimes called)” he was brought up in too poor of a family, Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, by far one of the greatest playwrights of all time, is clouded with controversy. Rumors run rampant that he was nothing more than a non de plume for someone who wished to keep the anonymity of his identity. There have been names such as Edward De Vere the 17th Earl of Oxford, Sir Francis Bacon, even Queen Elizabeth herself was among those thought to be the true writer of the plays and poems.

The Shakespeare name is known by almost everyone. The true identity of the great writer is still a mystery. There isn’t a single picture to portray the true identity of Shakespeare. When you look at the pictures they are different and resemble someone else. We know that he was a well educated business man, knowledgeable in the law and Royalty just for starters. The man credited with the works doesn’t poses these qualities. Over the years, more people ask the same question, who was the true Shakespeare?

Shakespeare was a playwright from Stratford who had arguably the most influential affect on English literature and the English language. His works are still praised to this day for their divine superiority, however, controversy in exceeding amounts has risen over the dispute of his authorship. This controversy has been the topic of many arguments between differently opinionated scholars who support opposing theories and beliefs (Friedman XV). "A difficult dilemma confronts biographers who tell the story of the glove maker's son from Stratford-on-Avon who is supposed to have become the world's greatest poet and dramatist" (Whalen 3). It may seem odd that this confusion and doubt had come to light in the first place, as the origin of

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.

While William Shakespeare’s name is written on many famous plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and more, did he actually write the plays? The truth is, that there is no solid proof that William Shakespeare was a writer at all, except for his signature scrawled on the manuscripts. Over the years, many people and organizations have claimed that other people have written the plays, such as, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, William Stanley, Edward De Vere and even Queen Elizabeth I. All of these people were good writers, and there is a possibility that one of them wrote Shakespeare, but why would somebody write under a pen name? The answer is, they would not, unless they were hiding something. The only person

For years we have had a question that no one quite knows the answer to. Was the so called Shakespeare really and truly the actual author of the 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems? There has been a dispute between the Oxfordians, who are supporting Edward de Vere, and there are the Stratfordians, who are supporting Shakespeare. Both sides have a lot of evidence to back their positions, but who really wrote the plays, the sonnets and the poems? Three points that support the Oxfordians include Edward de Vere’s life parallels many of Shakespeare’s writings, Edward de Vere traveled to many of the countries or places that were cited in Shakespeare’s work, and Edward de Vere had the knowledge that a person would need in order to write at the level Shakespeare wrote at.

Who was Shakespeare? Was he a man from Stratford-Upon-Avon who started with little and became the greatest English author to ever live; or was he a privileged Earl who was a favorite at Queen Elizabeth’s court? That is the great mystery. This particular mystery is difficult to solve because of the lack of documentary evidence. The Elizabethans did not believe in getting everything in writing as people do today. Therefore, the truth may never be known with certainty. However, evidence does exist to support at least two theories about the Shakespearean authorship: one that the man from Stratford wrote the works, the other that Edward de Vere the Earl of Oxford was the author. The question then becomes, which

Ever since the author's background has been questioned, scholars and other people have debated over who wrote the famous plays and sonnets that have the name William Shakespeare signed on them. Many alternative candidates have been presented, such as Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. However, these people do not have strong or valid arguments to support their theories. Based on biographical evidence, Shakespeare, not Edward de Vere, most likely wrote Shakespearean works. The arguments for other candidates like de Vere are not strong enough to show that Shakespeare did not write Shakespearean works.

The debate of the true authorship of Shakespeare is one that has been argued for centuries. While there are various theories to suggest that William Shakespeare, the man from Stratford on Avon was not the true author of the plays produced within his lifetime, one theory in particular seems to hold the most concrete evidence. The authorship theory about Edward de Vere, Seventeenth Earl of Oxford seems to have the most historical evidence proving that he is the writer of the plays and sonnets under the pseudonym William Shakespeare. Looking at DeVere’s personal life, one can see how his social status and access to higher education would have made it more credible for him to have written such literary masterpieces. Various circumstances of historical fact found about de Vere’s life are mirrored in the circumstances and relationships found within the works of Shakespeare. The rich settings in which many of the plays are set include traditional and historical details that could not have been available to anyone who did not travel to these places themselves. Lastly many of the biblical passages and allusions found in the work of Shakespeare are also found in the Bible that de Vere had his personal marks. There are too many historical facts found about DeVere that coincide with the plays of Shakespeare that cannot be brushed aside as coincidence. This essay will aim to show how these historical facts lead to solid proof that Edward DeVere was in fact the true author of the works

Shakespeare’s many plays are some of the most treasured and infamous works of literature in British history and in World history. Shakespeare coined many terms and phrases commonly used in the English language today in his writings. His works were and still are almost universally acclaimed and admired for their level of storytelling, intelligent use of the english language, and techniques ahead of their time. There is, however, a great deal of controversy regarding whether “The Bard” really authored his plays, or whether they were mislabeled and plagiarised by a phony author. Many factors contribute to these suspicions, and many allegations have been made regarding Shakespeare’s works being plagiarized by fellow authors and scholars.