The Shakespearean question - this is the name of the problem of authorship of works attributed to the pen of William Shakespeare. This name appeared by analogy with another question, Homeric. In this article, we will try to understand whether Shakespeare is really the author of famous works. We will state the essence of the Shakespearean question, which remains relevant to this day.
William Shakespeare is considered the most outstanding playwright in the world. His plays have been translated into more than 70 different languages. That is why the Shakespearean question is so important. In the World Encyclopedia about the authorship of the bulk of William's works, the following is noted. All recognized Shakespeare scholars have no doubt that he wrote the poems and plays. However, not everyone agrees with this. Why? The reason is the complete mystery of Shakespeare's biography.
The Shakespearean question arises in connection with extremely scarce information about the life of the great playwright. It is known that William was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. In the same city, he died 52 years later, in 1616. Hundreds of books are written about the playwright. Many of them touch upon the Shakespeare issue and are the result of hard research. What did the authors of these works come to? Let's figure it out.
Shakespeare's secular experience
William’s plays testify to the great secular experience of their creator. For example, he knew the law very well, had excellent command of legal terminology. Shakespeare showed a good knowledge of precedents. Sir John Bucknill in 1860, in his book entitled “The Shakespearean Knowledge in Medicine”, noted that the author of the plays had excellent knowledge in this area. The same applies to different types of hunting, including falconry, as well as to court etiquette. John Michell, a well-known Shakespeare scholar, noted that he was a "writer who knew everything."
Use of marine terminology
Shakespeare’s play describes a shipwreck five times. The use of marine terminology by the author allows us to judge that he is an experienced sailor. Did Shakespeare visit other countries? Did he serve in the navy? Did Shakespeare participate in the events of 1588 (the defeat of the Invincible Armada)? If even one of these assumptions were confirmed, Shakespeare's question could be considered resolved. However, there is no evidence so far. Interestingly, the playwright was fluent in military terms, and was also familiar with the peculiarities of the speech of the foot soldiers.
Bible quotes in plays
One of the parties that the Shakespearean issue includes is William's literacy. In the works created by Shakespeare, quotes from biblical texts are often found. The playwright could be introduced to them by his mother. However, there is no evidence that this woman was literate. The fact that Shakespeare knew the Bible raises the question of his education.
Did Shakespeare attend school
John, William's father, was a glover, wool merchant and butcher. He enjoyed considerable respect in his city, despite the fact that he was illiterate. There are no student lists for students at the Stratford Grammar School. However, at present, most Shakespeare scholars believe that William was one of them. Ben Johnson, a playwright and friend of William, spoke about him after years that in Latin he was not strong, he knew Greek even worse. This fact may indicate a low level of education of William, on the basis of which the Shakespearean question again arises, which, it turns out, is not so simple to summarize.
Was Shakespeare and his daughters literate
In four surviving documents, 6 signatures are found, possibly made by the hand of William Shakespeare. The name of the playwright can only be made out in part. Moreover, it is not always spelled the same way. Some experts believe that Shakespeare could not sign himself. Lawyers could do this for him. This, in turn, may raise the question of whether William was literate. Not a single manuscript that he personally wrote has been preserved. Suzanne, his daughter, could write her name. But you can not prove that she was educated. Perhaps her writing skills were limited to this. William's other daughter, Judith, who was especially close to Shakespeare, put a sign in place of the signature. Consequently, she was illiterate. It is not known why William did not offer his children educational opportunities.
Knowledge of languages, vocabulary
The author of world-famous plays discovers excellent knowledge of Roman and Greek classics, as well as French, Spanish and Italian literature. It is possible that he knew Italian, French and Spanish. The playwright's dictionary is very rich. An educated Englishman today rarely uses more than 4 thousand words in his speech. About 8 thousand units have a dictionary of the English poet of the 17th century, John Milton. And in the works of Shakespeare, according to experts, at least 21 thousand words!
Shakespeare's manuscripts and books
William in his three-page testament has listed everything that belongs to him. However, there are no manuscripts or books on the list. Perhaps they were inherited by Susanne, the eldest daughter of Shakespeare. In this case, her descendants would divide them among themselves. One churchman who lived in the 18th century was interested in this riddle. He visited all private libraries located within a radius of 70 km from Stratford-upon-Avon. However, this churchman did not find a single volume belonging to William Shakespeare.
The situation with manuscripts of plays is even more complicated. Their absence again raises the Shakespearean question. The arguments of the supporters that Shakespeare is not the author of the plays are as follows. As far as is known, not a single original of these works has been preserved. In 1623, 36 plays were published in The First Tome. By this time, 7 years have passed since the death of Shakespeare. During the life of the playwright, many pirated publications were distributed. Nevertheless, William, the smartest businessman, did nothing to prevent this.
"Missing years"
Troupe of actors wandering around the world in Elizabethan times were commonplace. Of course, they also came to Stratfod-upon-Avon, for example, in 1587. Shakespeare would have been in London by the fall of that year if he had joined the cast. It is known that he was accepted into the best theatrical troupe of London - "Servants of the Lord Chamberlain", which later became known as "Servants of the King". After Shakespeare found himself in the capital, his fate was very favorable. Over the years, William acquired estates in Stratford-upon-Avon and in London. However, no clear information was preserved about what the playwright did in the period from 1583 to 1592. This time is the most important “missing years”. The presence of white spots in William's biography greatly complicates the Shakespearean issue in the literature.
Playwright's funeral
In 1599, the Globe Theater was built in Southwark . Shakespeare's plays were staged in London even earlier, but they did not bring fame to their author. Even William’s funeral cannot be called magnificent, in contrast to the funeral of such playwrights as Francis Beaumont and Ben Johnson, who were buried in Westminster Abbey with great honors.
Authorship Applicants
Was another author hiding under the name of Shakespeare? Or maybe there were several? It is necessary to briefly talk about applicants for authorship, considering the content and ways of solving the Shakespearean issue. There are currently over 60 speculations about who could write under the name of William. One of the applicants is Christopher Marlowe. Even such personalities as Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh and Cardinal Woolsey were considered. Which of the applicants is the most likely author of the plays, according to theorists?
Christopher Marlowe - claimant for authorship
In the early plays of William, the influence of Christopher Marlowe (his portrait is presented above) is noticeable. However, this author died in London in 1593, when he was 29 years old. According to some assumptions, he was not killed during the fight in the tavern, as is believed. In fact, Marlo allegedly went to Italy. Here he continued to create. There is no mention of Christopher's funeral or burial anywhere.
Could the plays belong to Francis Bacon
Most of all, for the role of the author of the plays, except for Shakespeare, Francis Bacon (his portrait is presented above) is suitable. This famous person graduated from Cambridge University. Francis was only 3 years older than Shakespeare. He was a court official, an outstanding lawyer, and created many literary works. In 1769, for the first time, it was hypothesized that it was Bacon who wrote the plays of Shakespeare. However, this theory was not given any significance for the next 80 years. To protect it, the Bacon Society was created in 1885. Many facts were collected in support of this assumption. For example, it is known that Francis Bacon lived 30 km north of London, not far from St. Albans. This city is mentioned 15 times in Shakespeare’s works, while Stratford-upon-Avon, the playwright’s hometown, is never mentioned.
Other applicants
Rogers Menners and William Stanley have their supporters. Both of these counts knew court etiquette, received an excellent education. But why did they need to hide their identity under a false name? In 1939, Professor Porokhovshchikov defended Menners. He noted that the first works of this author were published anonymously. Others were printed under a pseudonym simply because the peer was not supposed to compose plays for public theaters.
Question about group authorship
There is an opinion according to which Shakespeare’s creations belong not to one author, but to a whole community of writers. Each of them allegedly invested his skill in these works. On the other hand, Shakespeare, a talented actor, may have edited other people's plays, preparing them for staging. The playwright, as it is believed, did not cross out a single line from his manuscripts. The assumption of joint authorship would be true if he amended the work of other playwrights and edited them.
What are the doubts about authorship based on?
Why, then, have disputes not ceased for a long time, and doubts are still alive that Shakespeare himself is the author of his plays? The World Encyclopedia says that it’s hard for people to believe that some actor from Stratford-upon-Avon wrote brilliant works. Shakespeare was of a provincial, noble origin. It does not fit with the level of his creations. Even in the encyclopedia, it was noted that almost all applicants for the authorship of plays belonged to the upper world, were aristocrats. Thus, people who doubt the authorship of Shakespeare's creations, believe that they could be created only by the smartest person who received a good education and has a high position in society. However, as we have already noted, all recognized researchers studying the work of the playwright agree that the plays belong to William. However, the Shakespearean issue, briefly outlined in this article, still remains open.
The question remains open
It can hardly be said that this dispute will be resolved in the near future. Perhaps we will get new evidence of Shakespeare's authorship. These may be genuine manuscripts that have finally been announced, or facts that could restore the picture of the playwright's life. William Shakespeare is still a mystery to us, therefore, the Shakespeare issue is still relevant. To be or not to be William the author of brilliant plays, known throughout the world? This question is likely to be raised for a long time. It only fuels interest in the work of the playwright.
One of the most interesting in the literature is the Shakespearean question. What is it, you now know. The mystery of the personality of a genius, we hope, will someday be revealed.