"So
far as anybody actually knows and can prove, Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon never wrote
a play in his life. So far as anybody knows and can prove, he never wrote a letter to
anybody in his life. So far as any one knows, he received only one letter during his
life." |
Is it true, as some believe the picture on the right suggests, that the
face of Shakespeare is that of a nobody simply stuck onto the shoulders of the real,
secret author of the plays and sonnets to hide his or her identity?
Very little is really known about the life of William Shakespeare. � Many regard this odd fact as evidence of some grand conspiracy in the authorship of the plays. In other words, many believe that the fact that we know so little about the world's greatest writer seems to suggest a cover-up.� Many believe that the plays of "Shakespeare" were actually written by, amongst others, Queen Elizabeth, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe or Edward deVere, the Earl of Oxford. This debate is often referred to as The Shakespeare Mystery. Many writers, academics and historians have dedicated their lives to the various sides of this debate.� It is an interesting debate and one that you might enjoy thinking about.� Visit the recommended sites under "Links" (or click on the link above) to explore the arguments.
Note: Those who accept that William Shakespeare of Stratford is the real author of the plays and poems is called a Stratfordian. � There are also, therefore, Anti-Stratfordians. A very large group of people believe that Edward deVere, Earl of Oxford, was the real author - these people are known as Oxfordians.
Words of Warning: We are studying the play Romeo and Juliet. In terms of the actual story and its literary value, WHO wrote it is not as important as the fact that someone wrote it.� We accept that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is the author of the plays.� We will require you to know about his life and times, as contained in class lectures and in notes on this site. However, we are also happy to encourage independent and original thinking - but answering that the plays were written by creatures from another galaxy will not get you very many points in your exam.
The answer to the question above? It doesn't really matter.