Who really wrote Shakespeare's works?
One of the most well-known writers in history is also one of the most controversial writers. William Shakespeare has been credited to thirty-eight plays, but did he actually write all of them. The debate whether he wrote all of his plays has been debated for generations. One of the main reasons was if his education level was high enough to be a world-famous writer. But if Shakespeare didn't write his works, then who did?
One of the most controversial and accused writers was Sir Francis Bacon. Sir Francis Bacon was a great scientist and a great writer. He was a well-educated man and his educated level was higher and more advanced than William Shakespeare. He had enough education to write master pieces of Shakespeare's caliber.
I think the reason he didn't write Shakespeare work was that his literature and writing style was more sophisticated. The way Shakespeare wrote was a type that couldn't be learned in school it was just talent that’s why it didn't matter how high your level of education was.
Edward de Vere was another writer though to have written the work of Shakespeare. Since the 1930's de Vere has been strongly advanced as the true author of Shakespeare's plays. De Vere represents the social-elitist stratum of the theorists, who believe that a commoner could never have accomplish such genius. De Vere was a nobleman of Queen Elizabeth I's court.
Charlton Ogburn an author thought that parallels of the Earl's life with material...
Who is this mysterious play write? For nearly 500 years, historians have been baffled as to how Shakespeare could have authored so many plays, if it truly was Shakespeare. Various historians have come up with numerous theories as to who wrote the plays. Yet the outcome has been the same, there is no solid evidence to neither confirm nor deny that Shakespeare truly did author the plays because most of the evidence is contradictory.
Stevenson, Alexa. “Probing Question: Did Shakespeare Really Write All Those Plays?” News. N.p. 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate. He fits the time period, had the power, writting background and a secret hierarchy group of literary writers. Francis Bacon was born in 1561 and he died in 1626. The first Folio of Shakespear was released in 1623. The first play was written around 1589-1591. This puts Bacon within the time period to be responsible for the plays. Unlike Shakespeare or Edward de vere. Shakespeare died in 1616 and the highly edited folio was released 7 years after the death of Shakespeare. Similarly Edward de Vere died in 1604 and was not around to do the extensive editing that had taken place by the time of the first folio. If it was edited by others who were not in charge of the plays I concede that this would have been Plagiarism and disrespecting an authors work shortly after their deaths. Whom I believe they respected and would not have done unless they were a part of the work.
	Edward de Vere of Oxford lived from 1550 to 1604. In the duration of that time, he was a young nobleman, a poet, and a lover of the theatre, but was also probably a great playwright who has yet to receive full credit for the plays he composed. De Vere witnessed first hand the inner workings of nobility. He traveled throughout Europe, completed his education at Cambridge University, studied the law at Gray’s Inn, and had abundant knowledge of historical occurrences and literary works (Russell 4). These are not only elements in the works attributed to William Shakespeare, but also are things which William Shakespeare of Stratford England knew nothing of. Who wrote the Shakespearean sonnets and plays? There is only one answer to this pivotal question – Edward de Vere of Oxford England.
Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets are big contributors to today's literature, but we still don't know the truth about who actually wrote them. There is many conspiracy theories that suggest William Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays, some believe William Stanley, Christopher Marlowe, or Edward de Vere may have have just used William Shakespeare as a pen name. Each theory has good points but they also all have parts that are not possible and don't make sense. What theory is true may never be answered due to the fact that the events happened so many years ago and there isn't much documentation from shakespeare's time.
One of the largest mysteries of current time is the debate over who the author of the plays commonly attributed to William Shakespeare really is. Commonly termed as the “authorship problem,” many skeptics believe that the William Shaksper of Stratford (the spelling of his name originally) could not have been the true composer of the plays he is traditionally attributed with. Although the thought of someone besides Shakespeare composing the plays is not popular with the American and European world, there are excessive theories concerning the truth behind the possibility of the works being authentically his.
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
One last reason why he shouldn’t be taught is because Shakespeare does not strike modern teenagers. As it says by Powell it states “Not strike modern teenagers with fear most of Shakespeare’s audiences were illiterate” (Powell). Shakespeare’s writings are hard to read and write and teenagers are confused. Another piece of evidence that shows he shouldn’t be taught is “Shakespeare is a lot to handle and manage. Student’s need to see themselves and be more engaged in the work” (Deblasis).
It is thought that since everyone in Shakespeare’s family was uneducated that he also would not have had proper schooling and would be uneducated. If shakespeare was uneducated he could not have written 198 pieces of work ranging from sonnets, poems, and plays. With a vocabulary of over 13,000 words used overall in all of his pieces of work combined, if he was uneducated it is completely impossible for him to have written all of the plays, poems, and sonnets.
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
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.
Ever since the author's background has been questioned, scholars and other people have debated over who wrote the famous plays and sonnets that have the name William Shakespeare signed on them. Many alternative candidates have been presented, such as Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. However, these people do not have strong or valid arguments to support their theories. Based on biographical evidence, Shakespeare, not Edward de Vere, most likely wrote Shakespearean works. The arguments for other candidates like de Vere are not strong enough to show that Shakespeare did not write Shakespearean works.
“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).
William Shakespeare born in 1564 is famously known as one of the most influential writers of all time; he conjured up many breathtaking plays during his lifetime. One of Shakespeare most successful plays was the tragedy Macbeth. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular play writer of all time. In this famous play Shakespeare has portrayed Macbeth as respectable noble man however he is motivated to go down the path of dishonesty and crime.
In his time, Shakespeare was the most popular playwright of London. As time passed, his smartness covers all others of his age; Jonson, Marlowe, Kyd, Greene, Dekker, Heywood—none had the craft or the kindness of character. He was the master of poetry writing and he did it well. He created the most vivid characters of the Elizabethan stage. His usage of language, both high and low, shows a remarkable fun and insight. His themes fit all generation even to this day.