It was found in a survey by Education Life, that the overwhelming majority of Shakespearean professors believe that William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon wrote the works attributed to him, and do not believe there is a strong argument disproving his authorship (Niederkorn 1). This conclusion comes from numerous sources and pieces of evidence, one of the most important being the First Folio, the complete collection of Shakespeare’s works published in 1623. The First Folio gives essential information about the identity of the author, a name, face, date of death, and hometown, and informs the public that that he was an actor whom at least two earls knew of. It also provides identification from the author's peers, establishing that Shakespeare did in fact write the plays (McCrea 6). William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon is accredited to the works because that is the name that appears on print versions of his works, and no proof exists currently to indicate that anyone else in the age was called "William Shakespeare." A multitude of others in the time period give Shakespeare credit for his works, and no one ever attributed them to anyone else, at least at that time, the same type of evidence used to credit playwrights and poets from the same time period. Also consistent with the time period is the subject of Shakespeare’s works. Though, Anti-Stratfordians point to the lack of similarities between Shakespeare’s life and works, but his audience was London, not Stratford, so he centered his works on things that would be familiar to his audience and interest them. Laws against works concerning current issues made it dangerous to write about current events, and as his peers were constantly arrested, and he nearly was, too, placing h...
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Massie, Allan. "Shakespeare Authorship Fantasists Don't Understand How Plays Are Written." The Telegraph [London] 25 Oct. 2011, Culture: n. pag. The Telegraph. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. .
McCrea, Scott. The Case for Shakespeare: The End of the Authorship Questions. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. Print.
Niederkorn, William S. "Shakespeare Reaffirmed." The New York Times [New York] 22 Apr. 2007, Education Life: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
Shapiro, James. "Hollywod Dishonors the Bard." The New York Times [New York] 16 Oct. 2011: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Vickers, Brian. 1993. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Greenhill, Wendy, and Wignall, Paul. Shakespeare: A Life. Chicago IL: Reed Educational & Professional Publishing, 2000. Print.
Vickers, Brian. 1993. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Perhaps the reason that Shakespeare’s works have not been attributed to any other man would attest to the fact that scholars are not willing to accept the implications that the man celebrated to be the world’s most ingenious literary figure is not, in fact, who he was thought to be. However, the search for evidence leading to the true author will continue out of the ethical implications that credit must be given to the true author of the world’s greatest literature.
Stevenson, Alexa. “Probing Question: Did Shakespeare Really Write All Those Plays?” News. N.p. 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
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.
Heilman, Robert B. “The Role We Give Shakespeare.” Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.
Vickers, Brian. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. 1993.
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.
James, D.G. (Excerpt from a series of lectures delivered in 1965 at University College, London.) The Shakespeare Criticism Volume 8. Gale Research Inc., Detroit. 1989: 429-434.
MrCrea, Scott. The Case for Shakespeare: The End of the Authorship Question. Westport: Praegar, 2005. Print.
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
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.