Written By Edward De Vere example essay topic

Who Was The True Author of Shakespeare's Works? The authenticity of Shakespeare's works being those of William Shakespeare has long been debated. Many people and scholars have explored the possibility that maybe the many amazing plays and sonnets were possibly written by a man named Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. There is a good amount of evidence supporting the theory that this man may be the real "Shakespeare", while on the other hand, it would be very difficult to deny the popular belief of William Shakespeare being who most people say he is. The thought of Edward de Vere being the author would change many aspects of our theatrical world today, and prove how influential word-of-mouth can be. According to popular belief, William Shakespeare was an amazing writer.

His real name was William Shakspere. With works from Hamlet to Othello to the well-known Romeo and Juliet, his plays have been adapted many times over. The themes that were in his dramas have recurred many times in movies, plays, and other performances since they were first performed in the 1600's. William Shakspere was the son of John Shakspere, a glover, trader, and landowner. William grew up in a town called Stratford, England, and he went to a school called King's New School.

It is believed that all of Shakespeare's education was received at that school. He grew up and married a woman named Ann Hathaway when he was 18, and they had 3 children. It is said that he moved to London and joined an acting troupe soon after his children were born. He wrote plays for the troupe and became very successful.

That is the extent of the information about Shakspere, and there are very little records about any other known history. Edward de Vere was a renowned gentleman, as well as the 17th Earl of Oxford. He had earned two Master's Degrees before he was seventeen years old, and also was very proficient in classics and French. In 1575, Oxford won the Queen's permission to tour the Continent. He visited Paris, Verona, Rome, Venice and Padua, among other cities, which would have given him descriptions for detail apparent in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. He was very familiar with upper class society, but knew very little about the lower classes, besides what he heard or observed.

He loved to write plays and was an amazing poet according to accounts in recovered letters written by his acquaintances. It is highly possible that Edward de Vere was the true writer of all the plays accredited to "Shakespeare". He was very smart and well learned. With his high education and knowledge of other countries, the descriptions within the plays make sense.

Coincidentally, de Vere's uncle was the inventor of the rhyme scheme that we now call Shakespearean sonnet. His other uncle was one of the writers accredited with assisting in the formation of the First Folio, a compilation of Shakespeare's works. These strange incidences are more reasons that justify the possibility of Edward de Vere being the true writer. "Shakespeare's" poetry often refers specifically to higher-class figures and their characteristics.

William Shakspere would have no way of truly knowing how these characters acted unless he knew them personally. For example, the character Olivia's characteristics distinctly reflect with those of Queen Elizabeth. Not too many people knew Queen Elizabeth well enough to be at such freedom in describing her behaviors. Also, the character Malvolio seems very similar to a man named Hatton. "Shakespeare's" plays, on the other hand, have a poor representation of what the lower class citizens would be like. If William Shakspere was the true author of the plays, it would seem fitting for him to know more about the lower class than the higher class.

It is sometimes believed that due to the fact that being a poet wasn't very dignified, Edward de Vere may have used a pen name. Because of his love for jousting, someone called him "a man who shakes the spear". That may possibly be the reason for his decision to be called "Shakespeare", and may be an important reason for the confusion between himself and the man William Shakspere. Because of the high percentage of illiteracy in lower class citizens like Shakspere, it would seem odd that he knew how to speak and write so fluently. Even if he did receive an ample amount of education in Stratford, it would never be enough to allow him to know how to speak as well as his writings do.

It is somewhat the equivalent of someone raised on the streets in present day New York learning how to speak in a perfect English accent, as well as using proper grammar. There is some evidence that supports William Shakspere's claim to fame. While being very debatable, there are six copies of Shakspere's signature. Three signatures are on his will while three are on other plays. The signatures of Shakspere are the main reason's he is linked to the authorship of plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello. Also, credit is given to him in the First Folio.

Whereas, if the Shakespeare referred to in the Folio was referring to "Shake-Spear", then that would be one less document giving credit to Shakspere. In those days, authors did not always write their names on the plays that they wrote, which makes it even more difficult to find information on him. In our present-day, people have a hard time accepting new ideas. That is why theories about de Vere, Marlowe, Bacon, and other suspected "Shakespeare" are not very widespread. Somehow the man from Stratford got the credit because of how many people believed it from the start. Word of mouth is very powerful and it is shown in the debates about authorship.

If "Shakespeare's" authorship were to be disproved, than the theatrical world would be forever different. It would take a long time for everyone to finally understand where the discrepancy came from, but eventually everyone would know. The play Hamlet would no longer be written by William Shakespeare, but it would be by Edward de Vere. It would be difficult to go back and fix everything currently ascribed to Shakespeare. No longer would the story be of a man considered a genius in a low class coming out into a famous lifestyle as a playwright; it would be about a rich, smart man in a high class environment with poetic influences all around him. The latter story doesn't seem as amazing, but it could possibly be true.

The debate about authorship will probably continue for decades to come. That is what happens when people have a lack of knowledge. People and scholars will continue to explore the possibility that maybe the many amazing plays and sonnets were possibly written by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. If a large investigation were to take place, then new evidence would most likely be brought forth; but until then, people will stay at home and watch Romeo and Juliet, the play written by a shadowy character named William Shakespeare.