Shakespeare authorship question

Shakespeare authorship question
Name	Shakespeare authorship question
Claims	William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon did not write the works attributed to him.
Subjects	English Renaissance theatre, Elizabethan era, Jacobean era
Region	Kingdom of England
Related	Baconian theory, Oxfordian theory, Marlovian theory

Shakespeare authorship question. The Shakespeare authorship question is a fringe theory proposing that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were written by someone else. This debate, which emerged centuries after his death, questions the traditional narrative surrounding the First Folio and the literary achievements of the man from Stratford-upon-Avon. While rejected by the vast majority of scholars, the controversy persists in popular culture and among some amateur enthusiasts.

Overview of the debate

The core of the debate centers on whether William Shakespeare, the actor and businessman from Stratford-upon-Avon, possessed the necessary education and life experience to author the plays and poems. Proponents of alternative authorship, often called anti-Stratfordians, argue the works demonstrate intimate knowledge of European courts, classical literature, and law that a commoner supposedly could not have obtained. They frequently point to perceived gaps in the historical record of Shakespeare of Stratford's life, contrasting it with the detailed biographical evidence available for figures like Christopher Marlowe or Ben Jonson. The debate is not a single unified theory but a collection of hypotheses promoting various Elizabethan era nobles and writers as the true author.

Major alternative candidates

The most prominent alternative candidate is Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, championed by the Oxfordian theory; supporters note his extensive education, patronage of acting companies, and travels to locations featured in the plays like Venice and Padua. Another long-standing candidate is Francis Bacon, a central figure in the Baconian theory, whose proponents cite his philosophical works, legal expertise, and alleged ciphers within the First Folio. The Marlovian theory posits that Christopher Marlowe, a celebrated playwright for the Admiral's Men, faked his death in Deptford in 1593 and continued writing under Shakespeare's name. Other less-supported candidates have included William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, and even Queen Elizabeth I.

Arguments for Shakespeare of Stratford

Contemporary evidence firmly links the man from Stratford-upon-Avon to the London theatre world. His name appears on published plays like Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, and he is listed as a principal shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later the King's Men. Fellow poets like Ben Jonson and John Webster praised him as a writer, with Jonson's eulogy in the First Folio directly identifying him as the "Sweet Swan of Avon." Legal documents, including his will and property purchases in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London, place him within the social and professional networks of the Elizabethan theatre. No contemporary document or person ever expressed doubt about his authorship during his lifetime.

Main anti-Stratfordian arguments

Anti-Stratfordians argue that Shakespeare's relatively modest background, inferred from records of his father John Shakespeare and his education at the King's New School, could not provide the sophisticated knowledge displayed in the works. They claim the plays show expertise in areas like Italian geography, aristocratic pursuits such as falconry, and intricate points of English law. A key contention is the perceived lack of personal manuscripts, correspondence, or contemporary praise explicitly detailing his literary genius. Furthermore, they interpret the sparse mentions of his death in 1616 in places like the Stratford-upon-Avon parish register as evidence of his insignificance to the literary world.

History of the controversy

Significant doubt did not emerge until the 19th century, with early skeptics like Delia Bacon and Ignatius L. Donnelly propounding theories involving Francis Bacon and a group of courtiers. The controversy gained wider traction in the late 1800s and early 1900s, fueled by figures such as Mark Twain and later by Sigmund Freud, who favored the Earl of Oxford. The founding of organizations like the Shakespeare Oxford Society institutionalized the debate. A notable modern moment was the 2011 film Anonymous, directed by Roland Emmerich, which popularized the Oxfordian theory to a global audience, despite criticism from institutions like the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Scholarly consensus and reception

The academic consensus, upheld by major institutions including the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and universities worldwide, is that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is the author. Scholars of English literature and Elizabethan theatre history view the authorship question as a pseudohistorical theory, arguing that it misunderstands the collaborative nature of Renaissance theatre, the evidence of literacy in Stratford-upon-Avon, and the documented practices of playwrights like those in the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The debate is largely absent from peer-reviewed academic journals but persists in popular media, television documentaries, and dedicated societies, creating a clear divide between mainstream scholarship and public intrigue.

Category:Pseudohistory Category:Shakespeare authorship