Shakespeare Controversy
What is it and Why do we Care?
What is the Shakespeare Controversy and where did it come from?
The Oxfordian theory says that all of Shakespeare's plays were really wrote by the 17th earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere. This theory was started in 1920 by J. Thomas Looney, who believed Shakespeare's identity was a secret because it had been left in "the hands if literary men".
The Three Main "Shakespeares"
Edward de Vere
Edward de Vere was the 17th earl of Oxford. The Oxfordian theory suggests that he wrote all of Shakespeare's plays, and even wrote a version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before English secular comedy ever existed. Edward de Vere died in 1604 but Shakespeare's plays were still being wrote until 1613.
Francis Bacon
Sir Francis Bacon was a philosopher, essayist, and writer. He was the first person believed to be the real Shakespeare. The theory was that he secretly wrote the plays for Shakespeare because he thought if he became a known playwright it would stop his rise to office.
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was a playwright and a poet that was believed to have wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. He is as of today the second most quoted, after the bible. People question whether he was actually a writer because he never had a higher education.
So WHO was the REAL Shakespeare?
The answer is simple, it's William Shakespeare. Bacon was too busy with his political work to have time to write poetry and plays then send them all the way to Shakespeare. Edward de Vere died before all of Shakespeare's plays were written. This leaves William Shakespeare as the only candidate left.