Up until a decade ago, there was no questioning the famous playwright William Shakespeare's authorship. Now, theorists use the lack of documents on Shakespeare’s life and doubt about how a commoner like Shakespeare could have written his famous plays to argue against Shakespeare’s authorship. While arguments for other candidates may be compelling, no concrete proof exists for any one candidate that provides a clearer picture of a literary genius than Shakespeare himself. Those who support Shakespeare as the best candidate and true author "emphasize the fact that the body of evidence that does exist points to Shakespeare, and no one else, as the author of his works" (Pruitt). The established documented facts: Shakespeare's education, the appearance of his name on not only his published plays, but around eighty other writer's works as a form of tribute or homage in an era where providing the author's name was not customary, his familiarity with acting, setting the stage, and orchestration of the action, and his life events which are reflected in the mood of his writing give William Shakespeare holds the strongest claim to the works that bear his name.
From the historical evidence available on William Shakespeare’s life, it is known that he was born in April 1564, the oldest son of John Shakespeare. John Shakespeare was ambitious, and he filled many municipal offices in Stratford including that of burgess, which privileged him to educate his children without charge at the
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a flourishing town in central England with a population of two-thousand at the time. He was born to Mary Arden, a local heiress, and John Shakespeare, a leather merchant and town bailiff, who both had been long-time residents of the town. While the exact date of his birth is unknown, it is estimated that Shakespeare’s birthdate is or was around the 23rd of April, 1564, because of a record of his baptization three days later; children were baptized as early as possible during this time, around three days after their birth. He had eight siblings: five younger brothers and sisters, named Gilbert, Richard, Edmund, Joan, and Ann, and three others that died during their births.
Shakespeare was a man who influenced the English language in his time. His birth date is officially unknown but is largely acknowledged on April 23rd,1564. His birthplace is in Stratford-upon-avon, United Kingdom and went to school at the King's New School in Stratford. The schoolhouse that he studied in was conveniently located approximately a quarter mile away from where he lived. When Shakespeare turned 18, he got the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester to issue a marriage licence on November 27, 1582 and he used it to marry Anne Hathaway (who was twenty-six at the time). Together, they had Three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. Sometime after 1585, his acting, and playwriting careers picked up speed in London. In that same
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
William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, a shoemaker and a daughter of an affluent farmer in 1564. He was born on April 23, and baptised two days later. William attended the local grammar school, the King's Scchool. He was born and lived in a smal town called Stratford-upon-Avon about 100 miles west of London. Shakespeare had three younger brothers and two older sisters. Shakespeare never attended University. Because of the lack of records of when Shakespeare was a child,some people question his existence.
Others also say that there was little evidence left behind about his childhood and later his career as a playwright and poet in London (Goode 9-10). Many scholars that studied Shakespeare?s plays found evidence that whoever wrote the plays must have been the best educated man of his time with knowledge on horsemanship, biology, falconry, astronomy, law, botany, several languages like Italian, French, and Latin, and many other subjects that a common man without much formal education would not poses (Lardner 7).
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
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.
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
William Shakespeare, one of the greatest authors of all time, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. The exact date of his birth is unknown though many historians have come to the agreement that he was born on or near April 23 1564. This assumption is due to the fact that his records show he was baptized on the 26th of April 1564. It is also likely that he attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. As that would have been typical for a child who’s father was an alderman. What is known is that he did not go to Unversity.
William Shakespeare is a name familiar to nearly every English-speaking person. He is known as a poet, playwright and actor, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. While many people might know a thing or two about Shakespeare, does anyone stop to think about what the world was like around him? What kind of trials and tribulations did the people of that Era have to face? What type of people did Shakespearian productions attract?
Shakespeare was a playwright from Stratford who had arguably the most influential affect on English literature and the English language. His works are still praised to this day for their divine superiority, however, controversy in exceeding amounts has risen over the dispute of his authorship. This controversy has been the topic of many arguments between differently opinionated scholars who support opposing theories and beliefs (Friedman XV). "A difficult dilemma confronts biographers who tell the story of the glove maker's son from Stratford-on-Avon who is supposed to have become the world's greatest poet and dramatist" (Whalen 3). It may seem odd that this confusion and doubt had come to light in the first place, as the origin of
For many centuries, there has been a controversy over whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays himself or whether another author wrote the works and gave him the credit. Shakespeare (1564-1616) is recorded to have written 37 plays and 154 sonnets, but the authorship of Shakespeare’s work has been disputed. There is valid reason to believe that Francis Bacon is the genuine author behind Shakespeare’s name. Bacon’s similar high status, numerous travels, and the Baconian theory are valuable reasons that give evidence to Bacon possibly being the author.
Shakespeare wrote thirty seven dramatic works between 1580s and 1613. But the exact chronology of its plays is still subject to discussion. However, the volume of its creations does not have to appear as exceptional compared to the standards of his period. Anti-Stratfordians a collective term for adherents of the various alternative authorship theories believe that Shakespeare of Stratford was a front to shield the identity of the real author or authors. Arguments that tries to prove that Shakespeare did not write his plays are that a commoner from Stratford would be unable to write good plays, a nobleman would have the education and experience to write these plays but he would have to hide his hobby to avoid social stigma also anagrams in
In 1564, William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (Hazell 32). It seems that Shakespeare’s career began around the year 1592. This was a tough time for playwrights and actors. There was an outbreak of the bubonic plague which caused concerns for those wanting to watch because of being surrounded by those potentially
William Shakespeare, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he was baptized on April 26th 1564, but his actual birth date is unknown. Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. William had two older sisters, Judith and Joan, and three younger brothers, Richard, Gilbert and Edmund. Not a lot is known of Shakespeare’s childhood, which is part of the reason everyone is so skeptical of his ability to have written everything he wrote. It