William Shakespeare Research Paper

Who was William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare, born in 1564 is revered as being one of the most brilliant writers in the English language of all time, however; there is a copious amount of evidence suggesting that Shakespeare may not have been the literary genius as previously believed. Shakespeare was both a writer and an actor whose work has been honored and enjoyed for more than four centuries. Nevertheless, from the humble beginnings of Shakespeare’s life, speculations on his mastery of the English language and questions of his authorship have posed substantial debates for more than a century. Claims that someone other than Shakespeare actually wrote the plays and poems attributed to him provide a reasonable doubt of authenticity due

Shakespeare was born in Stratford of Avon though the exact date of Shakespeare’s birthday is unknown. Also, records concerning his schooling, along with details of his education, manuscripts in his own writing and any real notes or legal documents that can attest to the ownership and magnitude of his talent and natural genius. The recent questioning of William Shakespeare being the true author of such notable literary works have led to many theories purporting the idea that Shakespeare was actually a pen name or a cover up to mask the true identity of a man who couldn’t possibly have amassed such inconceivable knowledge, training and culture. While several candidates have been proposed as having authored the more than 150 sonnets and dozens of Shakespearian plays, most notably: Sir Frances Bacon and Christopher Marlowe; it is more probable that Sir Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford was the most prominent of scholars in the group and most likely aristocrat to be the true author and playwright acquiring the prestigious

The legitimacy of such a debate raises several valid arguments questioning the true authorship of Shakespeare by presenting many provocative questions and facts in support of claims that ascertain that there just isn’t any true historical documentation to attest to his writing. This lack of evidence compared to other writers like De Vere, Marlowe and Bacon all of the same era raises some plausibility to the validity of a true argument. Furthermore, matching up some of the personal qualities, like the type and place of his education to the parallels in his life only further complicate the idea that William Shakespeare could actually be the incredible literary intellect he is so acclaimed and known for. Shakespeare’s handwritten signature, the only personal document in existence has appeared only six times, and each signature is inconsistently written from the previous and even spelled in numerous different ways. Actual facts and personal references written directly to Shakespeare while he was alive, along with any documentation of his education are virtually non-existent. Scholars have pointed out there were no biographies written about him and no paintings produced until after his death. While there is no conclusive evidence supporting any candidate as the true Shakespearean author, Sir Edward De Vere stands out amongst all