William Shakespeare Authorship 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 was likely born on April 23, 1564. Little is known about Shakespeare’s personal life, but as for the poet and writer, there is a plethora of information. It was in 1594 that Shakespeare published his first known plays were. He created his reputation by 1598—his name became what is today. This led to his success as both an actor on stage and a playwright. He is the most-read play writer in the Western Hemisphere. The English language is filled with phrases that are derived from his works. He is credited with the invention of the iambic pentameter.

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.

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 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

William Shakespeare, one of the greatest authors of all time, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. The exact date of his birth is unknown though many historians have come to the agreement that he was born on or near April 23 1564. This assumption is due to the fact that his records show he was baptized on the 26th of April 1564. It is also likely that he attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. As that would have been typical for a child who’s father was an alderman. What is known is that he did not go to Unversity.

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.

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 this project, I believe that I am an anti-stratfordian. There is no possible way that Shakespeare could have written all of his works in such minimal time. Going into this project, I expect to form a more educated and informed opinion on this matter. I would like to acknowledge both sides of the argument and pick a side. Before I started researching for this project, I had no idea where to start. Frankly, I didn’t even realize how controversial the Shakespeare’s authorship question really was. I wasn’t sure which websites were true or which ones simply wanted you to believe their side, no matter what false information they presented to you. However, by the end of my research, I am hoping to find four reliable and informative websites

William Shakespeare was a world renowned poet and playwright, and his pieces as still read and talked about today. Son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, he was born on April 23, 1564. He was the third of eight children in his sizeable family. He was baptized three days after his birth on the 26th of April in Stratford-upon-Avon near Birmingham, England. He most likely was educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. At the school, he learned many new languages including Latin, Greek, and he read Roman dramatists which means he must of picked up a little Italian on the way. Throughout Shakespeare's early life his father, being the tradesman he was, struggled with debt. This meant that Shakespeare grew up poor and saw the worst of the human condition. He had to overcome many obstacles to get to the position he was in. He worked hard at life, and now he is considered one the best poets to ever write. He married Anne Hathaway at 18, and they had two daughters. A few years into his marriage he moved to London where he began his career in acting and playwriting. He died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. He was then

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

William Shakespeare, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he was baptized on April 26th 1564, but his actual birth date is unknown. Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. William had two older sisters, Judith and Joan, and three younger brothers, Richard, Gilbert and Edmund. Not a lot is known of Shakespeare’s childhood, which is part of the reason everyone is so skeptical of his ability to have written everything he wrote. It

Though William Shakespeare is recognized as one of literature's greatest influences, very little is actually known about him. What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone. Anecdotes and criticisms by his rivals also speak of the famous playwright and suggest that he was indeed a playwright, poet and an actor.