Essay on William Shakespeare's Authenticity

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).

Serious and intense skepticism began in the 19th century when adoration for Shakespeare was at its highest. The most notable taking place about 150 years after his death. This is when questions rose about the authorship of William Shakespeare's plays. Scholars and historians have debated this topic. The real question is: “How could Shakespeare write with such profound skills in English and Writing when he did not finish school?” (Hechinger, “Did Shakespeare Really Write His Plays? A Few Theories Examined.”). Many claim Shakespeare wasn’t intelligent enough to write his plays. His plays contain a deep knowledge of English novels, yet Shakespeare did not have a university education. Whatever the truth may be, it is undeniable that whoever wrote the plays has immense

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

One of the most argued cases in history is whether or not William Shakespeare was the one to write his own plays, or if he had someone else write them for him. There are numerous amounts of arguments agreeing that Shakespeare wrote his plays, and then there are numerous amounts disagreeing with his penmanship of “his” plays. According to some sources, Shakespeare was an impractical choice to write such famous works of art due to his lack of traveling, and his lack of education (Hechinge). These theories come into play when explaining that Shakespeare was, indeed, a fraud.

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.

While the ideas of the true identity of Shakespeare have differed over the years in an almost trend-like fashion, a very popular idea has surfaced over the last century. The most prolific debate today is between the Stratfordians, or those who claim Shakespeare to be the true author, and the Oxfordians, those who claim Edward DeVere, Earl of Oxford, to be the true author.

To start from the beginning of the controversy, the earliest actual documentation of such findings began in 1785 by an oxford scholar named James Wilmot. It was here that when James came up “empty-handed” of any evidence of Shakespeare’s plays did he come to the conclusion that it had to have been someone else and that someone was Sir Francis Bacon. James however never reported anything and on his deathbed actually destroyed his writings, but not before telling a fellow scholar, James Corton Cowell, his findings. Cowell would leave and make a presentation to the Ipswich Philosophic Society, and so began the greatest mystery of whether William Shakespeare was a famous playwright or a fraud taking credit for the work of someone else.

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.

This quandary is led by the concept of the unrefined man from the Avon (Hastings 479). One of the first arguments that is ever presented against Shakespeare's authorship is his upbringing. It is argued that a peasant from Stratford could have never accomplished such great achievements and could never have acquired such fame (Friedman 1). Furthermore, "The author, it is argued, was a learned and cultivated poet-dramatist, probably a member of the nobility" (Hastings 480). Moreover, the man from Stratford was "an ignorant and illiterate actor, an 'unlettered peasant,' and an 'ignorant boor,'" who has apparently only sent one letter, and perhaps unsure about how to spell his own name. There is even a possibility that Shakespeare did not write English (Friedman 1).

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.

William Shakespeare had a very intersting life.William Shakespeare ended up to be a world known playwright and poet, most people would consider this a success and conclude that Shakepeare had a good life. While this may seem the case, shakespeare had a lot of hardship just like many other people. Shakespeare channeled this hardship and woe into plays and poems. He also channeled his delight, and humor, and every other emotion and experience into his writing, this is how he could make all the different types of plays come to life. William Shakespeare's life experiences are what made his reputation what it is today. Shakespeare's childhood, family and acting carear all had big influences on his writing.

One of the most notorious authors in all of literature, who composed outstanding works such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, still continues to influence people of the 21st century. Even through his success as a writer, there is very little known about the life of William Shakespeare. “England’s greatest ever literary genius, who's huge and varied output remains internationally known nearly four centuries later, remains today a shadowy figure shrouded in myth, rumor, and supposition.”- Peter Brimacombe

One of the reasons why Shakespeare was so popular and still is distinguished from other writers of his time is because of his ability to create topics that reach and speak to all types of people. He strayed away from what was normal for that time by

Very little is known about literature's most famous playwright. We know that the King's New Grammar School taught boys basic reading and writing. We assume William attended this school since it existed to educate the sons of Stratford but we have no definite proof. Likewise a lack of evidence suggests that William, whose works are studied universally at Universities, never attended one himself!