William Shakespeare Research Paper

William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, England is known worldwide as the most successful English poets and playwrights of all time. His works have been performed in countless countries across the globe for over 400 years. Although it is hard to pinpoint the chronological order of when Shakespeare wrote his plays, he has a total of thirty-seven plays from about 1590 to 1613 that revolved around actual historical events, tragedies, and comedies. Shakespeare’s early works were mostly historical with the exception of Romeo and Juliet, which is a tragic love story. Henry V, Henry VII, and Richard II were all a dramatization of the rise and fall of corrupt leaders and were thought to be Shakespeare’s justification of the origin of the Tudor

Edward de Vere was the leading alternative candidate of Shakespearean authorship starting in the early 1920s. Oxford followed in his family’s footsteps by sponsoring companies of actors and patronized a group of musicians and tumblers. He was praised for his theatrical and literary patronage. He had thirty-three works dedicated to him from 1564-1599 including works by John Lyly and Robert Greene. Oxford bought the sublease to the Blackfriars Theatre and gave it to Lyly, who operated it under the patronage of Oxford. Oxford’s followers, Oxfordians, believed that his literary allusions were indications that he was one the prominent anonymous writers of the day. It was noted of his connections to the London theatre and the playwrights during Shakespeare’s day, as well as his family connections including the patrons of Shakespeare’s First Folio and his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I and his patron, The Earl of Southampton. His authorship was first questioned by J. Thomas Looney, a schoolteacher who compared character’s in Shakespeare’s works like Hamlet, to the author which portrayed him as eccentric poet with a classical education who extensively traveled to Italy. Looney published Shakespeare Identified, he discerned the Shakespearean motifs, phrasing and rhetorical devices used by Oxford and he identified Oxford as the writer. After the

Derby was known to travel in Europe, visiting France and also possibly Navarre. Shakespeare’s play, Love Labour Lost was set in Navarre and was based on events that took place between 1578 and 1584. When Derby married Elizabeth de Vere. Her grandfather was William Cecil, who some thought was the basis of the character Polonius in Hamlet. Derby also associated with William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and his brother, Philip Herbert, The Earl of Montgomery and later the 4th Earl of Pembroke to whom Shakespeare’s First Folio was dedicated. When Derby’s estate was released his estates to his son James around 1629, and he named Herbert and his brother as the trustees. When Derby’s brother, Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, formed The Lord Strange’s Men who was a group of players who eventually joined The King’s Men. The King’s Men was one of the companies most associated with