Was, and still is, Shakespeare a fake?

Answer 1

Shakespeare existed. He was an actor.
However, numerous scholars now believe he didn't write the works attributed to him.

There are many reasons for this:
1. Shakespeare had little schooling, if any and could barely write.
2. His works reflect great knowledge of the inner mechanics of government and the court. Shakespeare, a blue-collar lad, had not been privvy to these things. How would he have known them?
3. There are various references, innuendo and codes implying something to be 'afoul in the state of Denmark' when it comes to authorship. Who could it be?

The most common suspect is Francis Bacon. The Earl of Oxford or Christopher Marlowe are also cited. Whoever it may be, the work remains - and is hardly a fake.

Answer 2

There's a lot of debate about whether Shakespeare is "real" or not. But, the question is very misleading. There is no question that Shakespeare is "real." He was a historical figure who was very active in the theatre scene throughout his life. He was married, had children, had a home. He was born and he died. None of that is up for question, it can all be verified.
The only point of contention is whether or not he wrote some, all or none of the works attributed to him. There is an awful lot of evidence pointing pretty directly to Shakespeare as the Bard (the foremost playwright of his time.) But, right or wrong, someone wrote those plays. And, whoever it was was a brilliant master of the written and spoken word.

So, in short. Yes, Virginia, There is a Shakespeare.

Answer 3

Are Shakespeare's plays a fake?

Hardly. There they are, some 37 of them, plus or minus two or three. And guess what. They still stand up -- after some 400 years -- better than much of what's been written since. My wife and I are watching them this summer, one every day or two, in the BBC productions. Every word of each one of them, in the original Elizabethan English. It takes an ear to hear, and some of the jokes (I have to admit) still fly over my head. But I'm watching without footnotes! Or headnotes! Or critics! Or commentary!

Now, were they all written by an actor named Will Shakespeare? Did he write alone? Did he have a cast and crew doing this or that? Was he really the front man for an earl or duke who didn't want to dirty his reputation by being associated with that low-level Globe Theatre -- as Lynn Cheney, for instance, maybe wishes she had not been identified as the writer of what I hear is virtual pornography?

Well, who knows? And who cares? The texts still exist. What you and I are writing now for Yahoo! Answers isn't likely to be dredged up one year from now (even a few days from now), much less 400 years from now. Nor acted out by people like Kenneth Branagh or Emma Thompson or James Earl Jones or Al Pacino or Jeremy Irons or Helen Mirren--why, even Kevin Kline and Mel Gibson (both mediocre Hamlets).

Was William Shakespeare a struggling actor? a committee? a pseudonym for a nobleman? or a genius from Stratford-on-Avon with no university education who never considered writing his own memoirs?

Whatever.

He certainly was no fake!

Answer 4

Shakespeare is not a fake. He just had some creative inspirations and took those inspirations from people and events around him. That's called incorporation of reality into creativity and gives the work a "current" feel. But fortunately for us he also chose themes that are timeless and had such great style that they still appeal to audiences today. Let the doubt go and just enjoy!

Answer 5

Tell me, how does a fake have so many hits? How can a fake have so many fans? Milli Vanilli were fakes and found out and no more, Shakespear was such a long time ago and still a firm favourite, so definitely not a fake.

Answer 6

Still up for debate, take your pick.

Personnally, I couldn't care less, though I'm a huge fan of literature. Whoever wrote those plays was a genius, and whether or not Shakespeare was the real name of the person who wrote them, to me, is irrelevant to their greatness.

Answer 7

Nope he was real. I visited his home in England. William Shakespeare (baptised April 26, 1564 – died April 23, 1616)[1]

Answer 8

Whether he wrote the works or not..... Shakespeare's writing is among the greatest literary gifts ever bestowed upon humanity.
Where and who instigated them is of no significance.

And I Quote: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Answer 9

He wasn't a fake. He was a real man who wrote at least some of his plays. People who study him have said that they're not sure he wrote every play he is credited for, but they said the same thing for Homer. No one will find out, so enjoy the works if you will not enjoy the man.

Answer 10

Shakespeare is God!!! There's no one like him, before or after! He has everything you need in his plays, answers to all questions, all dilemmas... Take a closer look...