THE SHAKESPEARACY
Research Question: After studying facts on Shakespeare’s life, do the conspiracy theories that surround his identity seem legitimate or fake?
Shakespeare’s identity has always been a very controversial topic. Even now, historians question his existence. Some believe that this renowned playwright was never authentic, only a nominal figure, while other Stratfordians believe that Shakespeare really did exist. Now, the question remains for us to find out.
“At the heart of the problem is the fact that, for a man who was so prolific with his pen, Shakespeare didn't leave much evidence of his life behind.” stated Farouky [2007], and she is absolutely right. From all of Shakespeare’s works, we only have six signatures that we found, and each of them differs from one another.
As found on Biography.com :
Most of Shakespeare’s life is unknown to us. He doesn’t have any birth records, but the church records indicate that he was baptized on April 16, 1564, in the Holy Trinity Church. Because of this record, we believe that Shakespeare was born sometime around April 23, 1564 to John and Mary Shakespeare, in Stratford-upon-Avon.
…show more content…
After all, many arguments can be made from either side. How can a man write about court life and other cultures when he has never experienced them? How can a man display human emotion so well? How could a mere glover’s son have become known as the world’s best playwright? As WIKIPEDIA puts it, “Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to