Shakespeare's Authorship Controversy

William Shakespeare is one of the most recognizable authors of literature. He is known for his dramas, poems, and sonnets. For years, no one questioned whether Shakespeare actually wrote his own plays. Shakespeare’s authorship controversy began in the early 19th century. Historians suggest that the plays attributed to William Shakespeare may not have been written by him but by other notable writers of his time. The William Shakespeare from Stratford- Upon- Avon was not a literary figure while he was alive. In fact, there is no record of William Shakespeare ever attending a school. Furthermore, William Shakespeare could not even spell his own name the same way two times. Therefore, historians wonder how a man who never got any schooling could

Some historians believe that it was a man named Edward de Vere. Edward de Vere was most likely the author of the works of William Shakespeare. Edward de Vere and his father worked for one of England's first acting companies. When his father died, the queen wanted Edward to live in the house of the man that owned the largest library in England. This meant that de Vere had exposure to many books, and this helped him with not only his learning, but also his writing. Furthermore, de Vere’s secretary, John Lyly, received degrees from two major universities before the age of 17 (Wright). Therefore, his secretary also could have helped him with his writing. Edward de Vere was exposed to royalty at a young age, so he received great schooling. In turn, de Vere wrote about royal courts, and this was evidence that he was indeed well educated. Furthermore, de Vere graduated from Cambridge University at fourteen years old. Therefore, this shows that de Vere had the proper education to produce the quality works attributed to William Shakespeare (“De Vere Authorship

Also, twelve more plays were dedicated to de Vere after his widowed wife died in 1612. When the plays and sonnets were published, they referred to the author as “every-living” to honor the deceased author (“Shakespeare Authorship 101”). Although some sonnets were not published until after de Vere’s death in 1604, scholars still believe that they were completed before he died. Because the sonnets were not published until 1608, some historians questioned whether or not de Vere actually wrote these sonnets. (Shakespeare Authorship 101”). Thomas Looney, an English schoolmaster, created a list of characteristics that the author of Shakespeare's plays must have had. Looney knew that the author must have been well educated and wealthy. When Looney looked through the encyclopedia of people, he came across the name Edward de Vere. De Vere was called one of the best poets of the Elizabethan era, but no poems and comedies were found with his name on it, so they think that it is under Shakespeare's name. De Vere was called one of the best poets of the Elizabethan era, but no poems and comedies were found with his name on it, therefore, historians think that the plays were produced under Shakespeare's name. William Shakespeare and Edward de Vere used similar writing styles (“De Vere,