William Shakespeare Controversy

There is still some controversy surrounding the authorship of the works of William Shakespeare. Most academics believe the traditional view that Shakespeare has correctly been regarded as the writer of his works. Some critics claim that the works were written by either Christopher Marlowe, Sir Francis Bacon, the Earl of Derby or the Earl of Oxford. However these critics are accused by some of being snobbish and not believing that a man from humble origins could have been the author of what are widely regarded as the greatest works of literature in the English language.

There is a great deal of evidence to support the traditional view that Shakespeare wrote the plays and poems. This includes the Parish records which confirm his birth in 1564, his marriage certificate and his death in 1616. On April 18th 1593, he entered into the Stationers Registrar his poem Venus and Adonis, providing evidence of his skills as a poet and his name is listed as a shareholder in the Globe Theatre. The fact that he was living in London in 1601 is confirmed by records of him being a witness in a court case. After his death, the contemporaries of Shakespeare dedicated the first published folio of his work to the memory of Shakespeare, including a verse to that effect which can be read in the folio. They said of him "His mind and hand went together and what he thought, he uttered with that easiness that we have scarce received from him a blot in his papers."

Shakespeare and his company 'The King’s Men' were recorded as having performed at the Royal Court before both Queen Elizabeth I and James I. Plays they performed included; The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1596, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream in 1603 and The Merchant Of Venice in 1605. Other writers, working during Shakespeare's lifetime, commented on his plays and poems in contemporary periodicals. Writers such as Samuel Pepys, Ben Jonson and Voltaire would not have discussed him as being the author of his works unless they knew him to be so. Also influences can be seen between events in Shakespeare's real life and his work as a poet, playwright and actor.