Was the famous Shakespeare really who he says he was? This unanswered question is asked by many all over the world but is it really that important or should we just care that the work is left behind? There are hundreds of theories on who actual wrote Shakespeare’s works. “O! They have lived long on the almsbasket of words. I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word; for thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier swallowed than a flap-dragon.” (LLL.V.I. 16-18) This Shakespearian phrase contains a hidden message telling the world that Shakespeare is not who he says he is. The nonsense word honorificabilitudinitatibus is an anagram for one of the theories that Shakespeare is really the aristocratic Lord Francis Bacon. Shakespeare wrote the extensive works using his education and his mind and the only person to write Shakespeare was the man himself, William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare was born April 23,1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon with no birth record but record that he was baptized three days later. Shakespeare grew up in Stratford and was able to attend school for free because of his father’s position in the towns governing body. It is assumed that Shakespeare attended King’s New School. Shakespeare then grew up to run for the towns government and managing the towns theater. Shakespeare did not grow up poor nor did he grow up rich but when Shakespeare was older his father fell into debt. When Shakespeare was twenty he started writing plays and was part of Lord Chamberlain’s men, an acting group. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 5 poems, and 154 sonnets, which was a great quantity to write back that time. To be able to write, Shakespeare must have had an education but some claim because t...
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...write these stories and if Shakespeare had been proven fake this theory is very believable.
In conclusion, this essay discussed a couple of the theories that William Shakespeare was not the true author of the extensive works with his name on them. William Shakespeare, though there is not a lot of evidence, wrote the works and people should be happy that we have the works. William Shakespeare was not tried as being the author until at least 150 years after his death. William Shakespeare has left evidence of his will and his house, which can still be visited to this day. William Shakespeare was neither Bacon nor De Vere but he was his own individual person. All of the theories forgot to think about the time in which the plays were written, the amount of time the author had to write these long fascinating works, and whether William Shakespeare did or did not exist.
William Shakespeare was born on 26 April 1564 (died on 23 April 1616), in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and actor and has written about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. Shakespeare wrote many successful plays such as, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet was written in the mid-1590s in London and even today it is considered to be one of the greatest plays ever written. It is a play based on a long dispute between two families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, and takes place in the cities of Verona and Mantua, Italy, over the course of four short days.
Clark, W.G. and Aldis Wright, eds. Introduction. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. New York: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., n. d.
For 300 years “William Shakespeare has had two lives one on the page and one on the stage” (Research and Innovation). But people ask “Why have the works of William Shakespeare endured for centuries? This is because his wonderful works of his characters, story phrases, and how he just connected to his audience still are alive today as they were alive in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. This essay will discuss “Why have the works of William Shakespeare endured for centuries?” As evidence three main points will be discussed his great stories, his illumination of the human experience, and his compelling characters.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
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.
How would the world react if they found out the famous William Shakespeare did not write his plays? If the conspiracy that Shakespeare was not the actual author of his words was revealed to be true, the world would be devastated. The issue is that Shakespeare might have not written his plays. Prior knowledge to this matter is that there are no records of Shakespeare ever going to school. Other knowledge is that he did not travel enough to describe his settings. There is evidence to deny that William Shakespeare authored his plays.
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.
“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).
Stratfordians believe that William Shakespeare was the true writer of many great plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello. This belief may be true, but there are many pieces of opposing evidence showing that he did not actually write these plays or poems. From the lack of information about his life, to his lack of education, there is almost no true reason that he could have written such amazing plays. There are many pieces of evidence showing that an earl named Edward De Vere wrote these plays. De Vere was a well educated nobleman with a degree from Oxford University. He had knowledge of the places most plays were set, and had a perfectly wide enough range of knowledge to be able to have written these plays. Because playwriting was considered
“What’s in a name? Would not a rose by any other name smell as sweet?” William Shakespeare, a name we have all heard at some point, but who is he? William Shakespeare, the man who has influenced our culture through his various literary works. What is the truth behind the brilliant man whom penned the renowned words filling the pages of the ever significant Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, or The Tempest?
The impeccable style and craft of Shakespeare’s writing has always been looked upon with great respect, and it continues to serve as an inspiration to writers and thinkers today even as it did when it was being first performed in London. Shakespeare’s modern audience, however, is far less diverse than the one for which he originally wrote. Due to the antiquity of his language, Shakespeare’s modern readership consists mostly of students and intellectuals, whereas in Shakespeare’s own time, his plays were performed in playhouses packed with everyone from royalty to peasants. Because of this, Shakespeare was forced to write on many different levels, the most sophisticated of which appealed to his more elite audience members, while the more straightforward and often more crude of which appealed to his less educated viewers, and the most universal of which still appeals to us.
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
After overcoming the troubles of becoming an actor and a playwright, William Shakespeare has become well renowned. His works reach to people all around the world despite the language barriers and different races and cultures. For centuries, the popularity of his work...
Throughout the United States and the entire world people are aware of Shakespeare; however, many people wonder why society wants their citizens to continue to read William Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Shakespeare continues to influence today’s environment and brings people together by speaking of a common author that most people know. All across the world, students must read at least one of Shakespeare’s works; which often develop those children who read his works into better writers. During the Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare experienced an uneventful childhood and had a basic education; however, his life still seems to be shrouded with mystery and raises the argument that he was not only the most successful, but also the most mysterious playwright, actor, and poet from that time period.
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.