"Shakespeare: Fact Or Fiction?" Was the man we know as Shakespeare really the author ofthe "Shakespearean Works"? We know little about the man called Shakespeare, Did he really write the plays, or is he just a man that got confused within history? (Sobran 44) There is not even a correct spelling of this mans name, Some of the spellings include Shakspere, Shakespeare, And Shakespeare, Is it the man, Or is it another? (Hayes 1D)Shakespeare is both fact and fiction, he was no concern untilnearly two hundred yearsafter he perished, and there is still no definite or probably will thereever be a conclusion to thismystery. (Sobran 44) There is another man that can be attributed with theworks of"Shakespeare", His name is Edward DeVere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.(Bethell 47) The man known as Shakespeare does not fit perfectly into thenecessary criteria todetermine the author of these works. Thomas Looney invented a series ofcriteria that had to befilled, in order to be a possible candidate for the authorship of theShakespearean works. To haveall the knowledge that is portrayed in the works, the author must haveaccomplished many things.These including a superior education, from what we know of "Shakespeare",this was not apossibility.(Bethell 46) We do not even know if Shakespeare has everwritten anything in his life,Nor do we know that he was paid for writing these works. The manShakespeare does not evenmake a claim that he is the author.(Bethell 50)He may not have been able to write the simplest thing of all, His ownname.(Hayes 1D) Last Name 2Its not how little we know about Shakespeare that causes confusionand difficulty, Its thethings that we do know about this man that cause the confusion anddifficulty. We knowShakespears father, a glover, could not write. When he signed documents,he simply made an "X", This is why it is beleived that Shakespeare could not write also,Because he probably did notattend school therefore his education was passed ...
