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Delve into the debate on who really wrote Shakespeare's works, exploring evidence suggesting other authors like Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, and Christopher Marlowe. Discover the reasons behind the use of pseudonyms and unravel the mysteries surrounding the literary giant.
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Who Really Wrote Shakespeare’s Works? Jake Bernstein
Why Shakespeare Couldn’t Have Written the Plays • Came from a poor, uneducated family • Both parents presumed illiterate • Did not have enough formal education • No documentation of Shakespeare attending grammar school • No letters or signatures of Shakespeare’s exist • Different spellings of last name • Shake-speare • Shak-spear • Had no experience with most of what he wrote about
Who May Have Written Them? • Francis Bacon • Wrote many other works, in many styles • His life experiences match what is written about in the plays • Described as a concealed poet by friends • Bacon’s signature hidden in some of the works • Tobie Matthew, a friend, wrote that Bacon was known to the world as a different person
Who May Have Written Them? • Edward de Vere • Possessed the knowledge of the material that is prominent in the works • The plays have many references to de Vere’s court experiences • Shortly after his death, the flow of works ceased
Who May Have Written Them? • Christopher Marlowe • He created the blank verse Shakespeare uses in his plays • Many parallels in the works of Marlowe and Shakespeare • Computer programs cannot tell the difference between their works
Why a Pseudonym? • At the time, play writing was looked down on as a profession • For members of the court, some of the satire would be considered treasonous and subject the writer to death
Works Cited • http://www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk