Doubt Of Shakespeares Authorship Of His Plays Essay -- essays research

Doubt of Shakespeares Authorship of His PlaysOver the age, confused persons have expressed doubt as to theauthorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his duck soups.American author, Henry James once give tongue to, "I am haunted by the conviction that thedivine William is the biggest and the most fortunate fraud ever practiced on apatient world. (Hoffman 27) On the other hand, author Calvin Hoffman wasconvinced that Shakespeare was "the author of the most magnificent slopedramatic prose and poetry ever written. (Hoffman 27) But, he reiterated thisbelief nineteen years later, stating, "They are magnificent Only, WilliamShakespeare of Stratford-on- Avon never wrote the plays and poems." (Hoffman 27)Crime, guilt, fraud, exile, hate, deceit, and murder are all twist intothis shroud of authorship that hides the identity of the worlds most renownedwriter. Cranks have proposed oer fifty candidates for authorship, from QueenElizabeth to the Jesiuts.Al though many doubt that William Shakespeare ever wrote the worksattributed to him, round still resort to pro-Shakespearean arguments. JohnDrinkwater, author and believer, felt that the f turn downs, banks, brooks, pastures,and woodlands of Shakespeares boyhood home, Stratford, were all transfigured inhis plays by his wonderful verse, but yet they still remained the scenes towhich he was bred. Drinkwater believed too, that not only in Shakespeareshumble folk, shepherds, gardeners, and serving men, but also in his princes andkings, he reflected the humanity with which he was familiar in Stratford. Theknowledge and scholarship he acquired directly from his own enviroment was quite trueto life. Drinkwater also said that mere book- knowledge in Shakespeares workswas usually incorrect because he used knowledge outside the range of his ownexperiences, with a " cubic yard audacity."It is true that William Shakespeare attended grammar school in Stratford,and tha he acquired almost competence in Latin and gained a limited knowledge ofEnglish history. there was a period of time in his life referred to as his" nighted years," and this period of time may have been subjected to influencesmaking for high culture.Records rate too, that Shakespeare left Stratford in 1585 and went on thestage in 1590. During this time he could have attended Cambridge or worked in alawyers ... ...Shakespeares did. Baconand Shakespeare viewed the world differently.Finally, some disbelievers support another candidate, William Stanley,the 6th Earl of Derby, who was interested in drama, and became a champion of acompany of actors. Several poems showed signs of early and immature Shakespeare,but he was a boy at that time. One was signed in Derbys handwriting, and deuce-acesigned "William Shakespeare." His motive- like de Vereswould have been to avoidassociation of his family crap with the lower social order of the stage.Was Shakespeare hinting at his name through word play? His verses, suchas "... every word doth almost tell my name..." come out to be an attempt to revealhis name. Another line says, "Whats in a name?" Sonnet III says, "Hence comesit that my name receives a brand," and " my name be buried where my body is...."In conclusion, curiosity has indeed been raise for many , many years.Hundreds of theories and shreds of proof have been gathered, but the world providealways wonder and waver between doubt and belief in William Shakespeare. So,the question still remains, "Was Shakespeare really Shakespeare?"