Do you think Shakespear really wrote his plays, poems and sonnets are was it someone else?

Question

Some scholars think that this simple man from rural England could not have had the insight to write such profound material.

Answer 1

This is an age-old question that will probably never be answered with complete certainty. Some of his works have been attributed to Ben Johnson, Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe, among others. Highly respected authors, such as Mark Twain, have been among those who question the authenticity of Shakespeare.

Part of the problem is, in the days when Shakespeare wrote, things were not copyrighted as they are today. Plagiarism wasn't in the dictionary--oh, wait, the WAS no dictionary--and writers surely "borrowed" from each other, Shakespeare being no exception.

It is clear that he was an actor, and I don't think anyone would doubt that he wrote a considerable amount of what is attributed to him. Surely he was talented and deserves a place in literary history. Beyond that, the questions may remain unanswered forever.

Answer 2

actually...

i was reading Volpone by Ben Jonson for a dramatics class i was doing, and when i was researching the author for the assigned "play report" I came across the intresting tid-bit that it was rumoured that Jonson used to write portions (if not all) of some of Shakespeare's plays when Shakespeare was too busy or tired to work on something that needed to be...

but then again, this relatively squashes the theory that simple men from rural england cannot produce such profound material because Jonson was also raised poor...however, a "friend", whose name was lost to history, helped him go through schooling in which he was turned fit to be with nobles...

-edit- now that i go back and read some other people's answers (i never actually take the time...lazy..) I think Steven K was speaking about the same Jonson...just..mispelled haha.

Answer 3

I love teh theory that Marlow faked his own death (the whole spy thing was catching up with him) and took over Shakespeare's persona and writing; however I do not believe it.

I think that a lot of the theories that Will was not the Bard come from snobery and elitism. The rest of the biggies of the era, Johnson, Marlowe, etc. were all educated in London, were the kind of people scholars like to see as successful. Bill Shakespeare was a simple guy form the boonies, with no real formal education, I see nothing wrong with that, talent does not know class systems, or geography.

Unless I find more proof of my Kit Marlowe theory, I'll stick with Bill from Stratford as the real deal.

Answer 4

I have long believed that the mere fact that some people spend their entire LIVES trying to discredit Shakespeare's authorship tells us a lot more about THEM than it does about "the man from Stratford."

Basically, we have two choices. We can either:

a) celebrate the fact that, by some happy cosmic accident, our race produced so gifted and insightful an individual as William Shakespeare during our recorded history, or...

b) try to demean and degrade his name and reputation.

I believe that the anti-Shakespeare forces do what they do because the enormity of Will's accomplishment in one (relatively) brief lifetime makes them terribly uncomfortable about the extent of their OWN impact on the world. They want to make him as little as they are.

Personally, I'm going with option "a." He was a miracle during his lifetime, and he's a miracle in mine.

Answer 5

Does it really matter who wrote it? They're timeless plays and magnificent poems. What does it matter if it was Shakespeare or Marlow, or even Queen Elizabeth (that seems far fetched to me).

For the record, I think it was Shakespeare, becuase as soon as his hands started shaking, the plays dried up. If it was another person writing them, they could have found another person to put them out under his name.

Answer 6

why am I not surprised.. Seems Shakespear has shamed some scholars with his words.. perhaps it's more of 'man, wish we thought of that' ..

Answer 7

tht's why shakespeare goes down in history as d greatest poet. not us!i mean, we all can't write like him,can we?i think it's all his work,he's gifted.

Answer 8

Well how would Shakespear get all that credit??