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The Authorship Controversy EssayA nonher competitor for the authorship of Shakespeares works is Francis Bacon. One of the major origins for this belief is the existence of a document which bears the names of Shakespeare and Bacon. The Northumberland Manuscript consists of list of speeches and other manuscripts which have been signed By Francis William Shakespeare. Bacon has been known to highlight aspects of a orphic or disguised life. In The Essay of Friendship Bacon relieves there be some whose lives are as if they perpetually played a part upon a stage, disguised to all others, open only to themselves. In a letter written to his friend John Davies, Bacon writes So desiring you to be good to c oncealed poets, I continue, yours very assured, Fr. Bacon. Francis Bacons vocabulary has been found to be extremely similar to each other. Another reason why several scholars believe that Francis Bacon is actually the author behind Shakespeares work is the detail that Bacon neer directly menti iodind Shakespeares name or quoted anything from Shakespeares plays. Moreover, some believe that when comparing the writings of intimately contemporary authors, no 1 comes close to Shakespeares style of prose and verse as Bacon.In fact a large number of words and phrases that are found in Shakespeares books can be attributed to Bacons notebook Promus which consists of hundreds and thousands of words and phrases that appeared for the first time in the English Language. (BBC UK) However, those who have argued that Bacon could not be Shakespeare have done so on the basis of the fact that Bacon himself has such a large assembling of his own works, it is difficult to imagine that he would have had the time or the need to write below a different name.(Shakespeare Resource Center) The third contender is Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford whose work has shown similarities to that of Shakespeare. His early verse and earn have been known to contain words and phrase s similar to that of Shakespeare. Moreover, the content of Shakespeares plays and poems indicate an in-depth knowledge of see persons in Elizabeths court and events related to them. De Vere was known to posses this information. De Vere has been strongly advocated to be the neat author of Shakespeares plays.Several scholars have highlighted the similarity between De Veres guardian William Cecil and the character of Polonius in hamlet. (Shakespeare Resource Center) Similarly, De Vere once wrote s poem and a letter to introduce Cardamus Comfort, a book by Thomas Bedingfield and one of the most important source book for Shakespeares Hamlet. Another coincidence is the character of Malvolio in Shakespeares Twelfth Night which shows a striking resemblance to Christopher Hatton, a key enemy of De Vere.Thus, in many of Shakespeares plays and sonnets, one can find characters and events similar to De Veres real life. In fact, the plot and characters of Hamlet are so similar to De Veres life that some scholars have even gone so far as to say that the play is practically an autobiography of De Vere. (Shakespeare-Oxford) Although no play can be attributed to De Vere, his verse and letters show a distinct similarity to Shakespeare.Although no one has been able to make it any definite proof of who out of the many contenders was indeed the true author of Shakespeares work, until now this debate has been one of the most bulky in literary history. Whoever wrote Shakespeares works had to have extensive knowledge on a large variety of subjects including law, music, foreign languages, classics, sports, aristocratic manners etc. nix that is known intimately William Shakespeare indicates that he possessed all this information and knowledge.Similarly, Shakespeares connection with the theater was neer clearly established and there was nothing to document his career as an actor such as any past roles or any plays that he might have performed in. Moreover, there are no clear and legible signatures that can be attributed to Shakespeare. Historically, there are six practically illegible signatures, each different from the other and each of them from the latter period of his life i. e. three on his will, one on a deposition, and two on some property documents.Not a single signature has been seen with any of his literature. (The Beginners Guide) Stratfordians have been consistently downplaying these debates and believe that since so many contenders have been considered to be the true Shakespeare, the notion is absurd to begin with. There cannot be so many possible candidates to substitute one person (approximately eight Elizabethans have been considered for this role) and thus there really is no logic for this premise and no(prenominal) of the so-called contenders are Shakespeare. (The Beginners Guide)Overall, there are several arguments which assert that Shakespeare did not write the plays and sonnets that have been attributed to him. He did not have the bac kground or breeding to do so did not have the education to write such lyrics and prose did not have the depth his plays possess which only a University educated individual would have. Moreover, his name is spelt Shaksper on his birth certificate and the authenticity of his signatures has in any case been questioned. There is no reasonable explanation as to why he retired to Stratford at the peak of his career.There is also no logic of why he was not painted during his lifetime or the fact that his terminal entry in the registry lists him as a Gent instead of a dramatist, playwright or poet. The debate has never been concluded and one cannot be sure when or how it will. (The Authorship Controversy)Bibliography 1. Information about Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Resource Center. Available online at http//www. bardweb. net/debates. html 2. Gross, John. Will the Real Shakespeare Please Stand Up? Commentary, Vol. 119, March 2005