społeczeństwo: Shakespeare authorship question

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The Shakespeare authorship question is the argument that someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote the works attributed to him. Anti-Stratfordians—a collective term for adherents of the various alternative-authorship theories—believe that Shakespeare of Stratford was a front to shield the identity of the real author or authors, who for some reason—usually social rank, state security, or gender—did not want or could not accept public credit. Although the idea has attracted much public interest, all but a few Shakespeare scholars and literary historians consider it a fringe theory and for the most part acknowledge it only to rebut or disparage the claims. Shakespeare…

Evidence: 66 • authority: 72

The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. While historians and literary scholars overwhelmingly reject alternative authorship candidates, including Oxford, public interest in the Oxfordian theory continues. After the 1920s, the Oxfordian theory became the most popular alternative Shakespeare authorship theory. The convergence of documentary evidence of the type used by academics for authorial attribution – title pages, testimony by other contemporary poets and historians, and official records – sufficiently establishes Shakespeare's authorship for the overwhelming majority of Shakespear…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Neville theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that the English parliamentarian and diplomat Henry Neville (1564–1615) wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare. First proposed in 2005, the theory relies upon perceived correspondences between aspects of Neville's life and the circumstances surrounding and contents of Shakespeare's works, interpretative readings of manuscripts purportedly connected with Neville, cryptographic ciphers and codes in the dedication to Shakespeare's Sonnets, and other perceived links between Neville and Shakespeare's works. In addition, a conspiracy is posited in which Ben Jonson attributed the First Folio to William Shakesp…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Baconian theory of Shakespearean authorship contends that Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher, essayist and scientist, wrote the plays that are attributed to William Shakespeare. Various explanations are offered for this alleged subterfuge, most commonly that Bacon's rise to high office might have been hindered if it became known that he wrote plays for the public stage. The plays are credited to Shakespeare, who, supporters of the theory claim, was merely a front to shield the identity of Bacon. All but a few academic Shakespeare scholars reject the arguments for Bacon authorship, as well as those for all other alternative authors. The theory was first put forth in the mid-nineteenth centur…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Emilia Lanier theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that the English poet Emilia Lanier (née Aemilia Bassano; 1569–1645) is the actual author of at least part of the plays and poems attributed to William Shakespeare. As is the case with the dozens of other candidates purported to be a secret author of Shakespeare's works, this idea is rejected by the large majority of Shakespeare scholars.

Evidence: — • authority: 72

William Shakespeare (c. 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" or simply "the Bard". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, 3 long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studi…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The spelling of William Shakespeare's name has varied over time. It was not consistently spelled any single way during his lifetime (1564–1616), including by Shakespeare himself, in manuscript or in printed form; historians note that this was not unusual for documents in the Elizabethan era. After his death, the name was spelled variously by editors of his work, and there was no fixed spelling until well into the 20th century. The standard spelling of the surname as "Shakespeare" was the most common published form in Shakespeare's lifetime, but it was not one of the inconsistent variations used in his own handwritten signatures. It was, however, the spelling used as a printed signature to t…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Claims that someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote the works traditionally attributed to him were first explicitly made in the 19th century, though supporters of the theory often argue that coded assertions of alternative authorship exist in texts dating back to Shakespeare's lifetime. Typically, they say that the historical Shakespeare was merely a front to shield the identity of the real author or authors, who, for reasons such as social rank, state security, or gender, could not safely take public credit. Although these claims have attracted much public interest, all but a few Shakespeare scholars and literary historians consider them to be fringe theories wi…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

The Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship holds that the Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe was the main author of the poems and plays attributed to William Shakespeare. Further, the theory says Marlowe did not die in Deptford on 30 May 1593, as the historical records state, but that his death was faked. Marlovians (as those who subscribe to the theory are usually called) base their argument on supposed anomalies surrounding Marlowe's reported death and on the significant influence which, according to most scholars, Marlowe's works had on those of Shakespeare. They also point out the coincidence that, despite their having been born only two months apart, the first time…

Evidence: — • authority: 80

Perdita, Pastorella, and the Romance of Literary Form: Shakespeare’s Counter-Spenserian Authorship

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Literary Author. Abstract Shakespeare is not merely a ‘man of the theatre’: he is also a literary author. Specifically, he is a theatrical man who is simultaneously a literary author. Hence, he writes two sets of works: not merely plays for both the theatre and the printshop, but also poems for the printshop. This hybrid model of authorship sets the highwater mark in English, for Shakespeare is the first individual fully to wear the mantle of the literary author in this form, succeeded by Jonson. As You Like It dramatizes the specific form that Shakespeare’s literary authorship takes: he is England’s first truly sublime literary author. Shakespeare’s sublime literary authorship is historica…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Kyd and Shakespeare: Authorship versus Influence. This article explores Shakespeare’s verbal indebtedness to works that have been attributed to Thomas Kyd, encompassing plays such as Soliman and Perseda, King Leir, and Arden of Faversham. Significantly, Martin Mueller has created an electronic corpus called Shakespeare His Contemporaries, which consists of over 500 plays dated between 1552 and 1662. Shakespeare His Contemporaries lists play pairs that share large numbers of dislegomena consisting of four words or more, and therefore provides empirical data that can help researchers to explore the intertextual relationships between early modern texts. This article investigates the nature of…