Doubt Of Shakespeare's Authorship Of His Plays
Over the years, various persons have expressed doubt as to the
authorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his plays.
American author, Henry James once said, "I am haunted by the conviction that the
divine William is the biggest and the most successful fraud ever practiced on a
patient world. (Hoffman 27) On the other hand, author Calvin Hoffman was
convinced that Shakespeare was "the author of the most magnificent English
dramatic prose and poetry ever written. (Hoffman 27) But, he reiterated this
belief nineteen years later, stating, "They are magnificent! Only, William
Shakespeare of Stratford-on- Avon never wrote the plays and poems." (Hoffman 27)
Crime, ...
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boyhood home, Stratford, were all transfigured in
his plays by his wonderful verse, but yet they still remained the scenes to
which he was bred. Drinkwater believed too, that not only in Shakespeare's
humble folk, shepherds, gardeners, and serving men, but also in his princes and
kings, he reflected the humanity with which he was familiar in Stratford. The
knowledge and wisdom he acquired directly from his own enviroment was quite true
to life. Drinkwater also said that mere book- knowledge in Shakespeare's works
was usually incorrect because he used knowledge outside the range of his own
experiences, with a "grand audacity."
It is true that William Shakespeare attended grammar school in Stratford,
and tha he acquired some competence in Latin and gained a limited knowledge of
English history. There was a period of time in his life referred to as his
"dark years," and this period of time may have been subjected to influences
making for high culture.
Records ...
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case, some
say . To account for innumeralbe instances where Shakespeare exhibited such
wide knowledge, Stratfordians say that Shakespeare pumped anyone he could for
information. However, others feel that pumping friends for local color could
help with broad knowledge, but really could not enable him to convey the
atmosphere of a country or to add small, rather insignificant details which
could only come from the pen of a writer who had actually experienced them.
Many feel that since Shakespeare's greatness was not widely proclaimed
and because none of his original manuscripts survived, is evidence that the
latter was destroyed to conceal the author's identity. And too, once a ...
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"Doubt Of Shakespeare's Authorship Of His Plays." Essayworld.com. January 13, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Doubt-Of-Shakespeares-Authorship-His-Plays/77394.
"Doubt Of Shakespeare's Authorship Of His Plays." Essayworld.com. January 13, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Doubt-Of-Shakespeares-Authorship-His-Plays/77394.
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