The Shakespeare Authorship Question
Created | Updated May 31, 2006
Elizabethean Writing
There has been much speculation of the true author of the works attributed to one William Shakespeare.
The plays were performed for commonfolk, and it would be an abomination for such things to be written for them by an upper class citizen. Thus the requirement for some sort of pen name to abide by.
The Contenders
Many theories have been formulated describing men of different social class and status as 'the bard'.
The most prominent are:
- William Shakespeare (of Stratford)
- Sir Francis Bacon (of London)
- Edward De Vere (of Oxford)
Sir Francis Bacon
Bacon wrote under many different pen names during his lifetime, most notably Lord Verulam. Such a moniker helped him to conceal his noble identity, while speaking openly, with no chance of reprimand for anything he wrote (being against many of the important driving philosophies of society at that time). Some of the references found in many of the celebrated works also directly reflect upon the more serious works attributed to Bacon. The spirit of Hamlets father in the play Hamlet appears not as a ghost, but a spirit. This particular theory played a major role in some of Bacons scientific works, building upon the concept that we do indeed contain a spirit. His cipher, though unconfirmed, is said to lead readers to clues of the true authorship. Examination of sonnets and plays have brought researchers to believe that embedded into some of the original text can be found "Bacon", spelled in a variety of ways. These theories have yet to draw any concrete conclusion, as researchers continue their search for further details of the authorship of Shake-speare
More information to come
