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Influence on Shakespeare's writings
Influence on Shakespeare's writings
Influence on Shakespeare's writings
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William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in history. For hundreds of years, Shakespeare’s works have been celebrated and performed countless times. While Shakespeare is regarded as a genius, there is speculation that Shakespeare did not write his own plays and they were instead written by a different writer. This writer must have come from a background that correlates to the intelligence and elegance reflected in Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. By analyzing and examining texts about the matter, one can deduce that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were not written by Shakespeare himself, but a well educated, traveler nobleman, Edward de Vere.
In his works, William Shakespeare seems to understand a life including royalty
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The Earl of Oxford grew up surrounded by royalty and, “His [de Vere] connections, without question, were impeccable,” (238, Shakespeare). In many of Shakespeare’s plays, there is a royal tone that Shakespeare would have been unfamiliar to as a middle-class man. Also, during his lifetime, Shakespeare dedicated two of his sonnets to the third Earl of Southampton, and was believed to have been in a romantic relationship with the Earl. de Vere’s eldest daughter was offered in marriage to the same Earl of Southampton and another daughter was married to an Earl to whom the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works was dedicated. This connects both Shakespeare and de Vere. Additionally, supporters of the Earl have discovered clues that connect de Vere to Shakespeare’s writing. In To Be or Not to Be Shakespeare, Mark Anderson, a supporter of de Vere, points to examples in Hamlet that reflect de Vere’s own life. “He [Anderson] finds...clues in Shakespeare’s settings, plots, and characters.” Since de Vere was of noble status, it would have been easy for him to use elements of his own life in his writings. For example, in Hamlet, the character Polonius is a mockery of de Vere’s father-in-law, Lord Burghley. Shakespeare and de Vere’s connections and links are easily the most prominent of all the
Summary of Shakespeare's Authorship and Questions of Evidence. Scholar Diana Price in her article, "Shakespeare's Authorship and Questions of Evidence" takes an independent, serious and thought provoking role in investigating the answer to a question of over 400 years: Was Shakespeare of Stratford really responsible for writing all those stories and sonnets? Was it Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Edward Dyer, the earl of Derby, and of all most suspected by the anti-stratfordians Edward de Vere (the 17th earl of Oxford)?
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.
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.
Edward de Vere was the Lord Great Chamberlain and the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. He was raised as a Royal Ward and from a very young age was educated in the sports and arts of nobility. Although disgraceful for a nobleman to waste time writing frivolous plays, Oxford as a young man wrote and staged the entertainment for the court. As an adult, he became engrossed in theatrical performances and frittered away his fortunes in support of several writers and actors (Friedman 13). During this time, De Vere also began writing several poems and plays. Much like Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name of Mark Twain, Oxford adopted the pseudonym Shakespeare. Soon after plays appeared under the name of "Shakespeare," poems by de Vere ceased (Russell 5). Coincidently, the coat of arms of Lord Bulbeck, a third title of Edward de Vere, is a lion shaking a spear (Ogburn 10). De Vere was also known by the people as the "spear-shaker" because of excellence at the tilts and at jousting (Russell 5).
Shakespeare is Important William Shakespeare’s plays are being made into box office film hits at an incredible rate. Films such as Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, Hamlet with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, Othello with Laurence Fishbourne and Henry V with Kenneth Branagh have been seen by a surprising number of teenagers. Often they have not understood it all, or even half of it, but they have been affected by the powerful characters and by the Shakespearean magic which has affected audiences around the world for centuries. They want to know more, they want to understand, and what better motivation can any teacher ask for than that students WANT? That alone is sufficient reason for any English teacher to start a course in Shakespeare.
De Vere’s education, travels and experience with court life all are contributions to the brilliance behind these plays and sonnets. Jumana Farouksy, makes a legitimate point in her article, The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity. Her point is that this conspiracy will never cease to present itself within the educational and literary world. The mystery behind Shakespeare's writings is no longer a mystery. William Shakespeare does not possess the qualifications to be the genuine author of these renowned plays and sonnets, and De Vere is the prominent candidate. Charles Dickens once said, The life of Shakespeare is a fine mystery and I tremble every day lest something turn up.” Shakespeare’s life still remains unexplainable, but the fact that he is not the true author can be explained. The contrasting childhood upbringing between Shakespeare and de Vere is automatic evidence supporting the anti-stratfordian view. The strong opinions against Shakespeare’s authenticity, taken by historians, professors and writers draws even more attention to Edward de Vere. The anti-stratfordian view stands strong in the fact that Shakespeare is simply an instrument used to hide the true identity of Edward de
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Earl Staelin. The Case for Edward DeVere, The 17th Earl Of Oxford As Shakespeare. November 8, 2002. http://www.free-books.org/shakespeare/EdwardDeVere-17EarlOxford.htm
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.
The argument for Edward de Vere does sound plausible at first. Many connections have been made to Oxford's life and Hamlet (Bethell). Some of these connections are how Oxford and Hamlet are similar in the sense that “both were scholars, athletes, and poets”. Both have stabbed a supposed spy (one of Burghley's servants and Polonius respectively), both have a friend with similar names (Oxford had a friend named Horace Vere, who is “called Horatio in some documents”, and Hamlet's best friend is Horatio), and both were “captured by pirates en route to England”. Many Oxfordians concludes that these connections are probably not coincidence because of how abundant they are in Hamlet. Oxford also happens to have a very high education. Nowell, one of Oxford's tutors, says, “I clearly see that my work for the Earl of Oxford cannot be much longer required” (qtd. in Green). Oxford was so intelligent that his tutor said he had learned enough, which means he most likely knew enough to be able to write Shakespearean works. Oxford also has a legitimate motive for why he must hide his name by using another. Many people of noble status “have no ...
“William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was and English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist” (vodppl.upm.edu 2). He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, he also passed away in his hometown. “When Shakespeare died in 1616 the event was barely noticed” (Epstein 7). “Shakespeare’s family was initially prosperous but began having financial difficulties in the 1570’s” (Allen 325). “Shakespeare gained his education by attending the local grammar school, King’s New School, where the curriculum stressed a classic education of Greek mythology and roman comedy”(shakespeareinamericancomunites.org 1). He never carried his educational career to a higher level as in a university. “William Shakespeare was not recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright until 1592” (Allen 346).
Shakespeare’s original audiences appreciated his work on all of its different levels, something that is almost impossible today for all but the most dedicated Shakespearean scholars. However, there is something that resonates equally with today’s audiences as with the audiences of Elizabethan times, and that is the effortlessly accurate portrayal of humanity that Shakespeare achieves through some of the most beautifully crafted literature in the history of the English language.
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in
Shakespeare Studies 11 (1978): 53-76. MLA International Bibliography. Web. The Web. The Web.
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.