William Shakespeare is generally considered to be one of the best English writers of all time. Yet, most of his life remains a mystery: Where did he go to school? When was he born? When did he write his most famous plays? The lack of definitive answers to these questions, among others, have led some to believe that Shakespeare was not actually the famous playwright he is believed to have been, and that his works were truly written by various others. This is known as the anti-Stratfordian theory.

Much of what is known about Shakespeare’s life is not really known at all. It was pieced together by later scholars using the few records that exist. His birthday is usually celebrated on April 23, to coincide with St. George’s Day, but the only indicator of his birthdate is that he was baptized at a local church on April 26, 1564. His father, John Shakespeare, was a prominent figure in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon and even served as mayor at one point, until the family eventually fell into financial troubles. 

Scholars believe that William Shakespeare likely attended the King’s New School in Stratford, UK, though there are no records to say so. There, he would have learnt Latin, still the official language of Europe, and studied classical writers. He likely left school around the age of 14, as most did during this time. When he was 18, he married Anne Hathaway, and they had 3 children.

However, after this point, from 1585 – 1592, Shakespeare seems to have vanished completely. Not a single record exists of him during this time, leading this period to be referred to as the “Lost Years”. Many people have taken on to speculating what went on during this time. Some believe that this disappearance was deliberate, that Shakespeare had gone into hiding after poaching game from a landlord. Others think that he was in Lancashire, working as an assistant schoolmaster. But the widely accepted belief is that he went to London during this time and found work as part of a theater. 

In 1592, it’s known that Shakespeare was in London, as a pamphlet written by his rival Robert Greene was found, where he bitterly insults Shakespeare while on his deathbed. Soon, documents were found that show Shakespeare was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men, one of the most prominent theater companies of its time. It is believed that Shakespeare began writing poems as a way to pass the time when the plague broke out, as he could no longer perform. He likely also wrote some of his first plays during this time, though none were published until later. In the later 1590s, Shakespeare became a shareholder of the King’s Men and published many of his plays, accumulating great wealth. Church records show that he was interred on April 25, 1616, leading historians to date his death to his 52nd birthday.

Despite few records existing, Shakespeare’s life and legacy seems legitimate. However, the anti-Stratfordian theory has slowly gained traction and was most popular in the late 19th century. During this time, many celebrities, including Malcolm X, Helen Keller, and Orson Welles were anti-Stratfordians themselves. The reasons why likely had less to do with scholarly proof, but more with the glamour and excitement of such a conspiracy. Regardless, at the heart of this theory lies classism, the disbelief that a common, uneducated peasant could’ve written such beautiful works of art.

But let’s back up a little: the anti-Stratfordian theory likely first emerged in 1781, from scholar James Wilmot. Wilmot had set out to write a biography of Shakespeare, and so had visited his hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon, looking for correspondence or notes left behind. But he found nothing, not a single piece of evidence to show that Shakespeare had ever visited the library, read a book, or sent a letter. Wilmot was astounded and concluded that there was no chance that Shakespeare could have authored any of his works. He kept his thoughts private, sharing them only with his friend James Corton Cowell, who would go on to conduct lectures about the anti-Stratfordian theory. 

Yet, in an ironic twist of fate, it’s possible that this series of events never occurred either. Cowell’s lectures weren’t found until 1931, making it possible that they were later forged. The language used in them was uncommon for the early 18th century, and drew on information that wasn’t discovered until after the lectures were supposedly given.

Nevertheless, in 1857, Delia Bacon published a book arguing that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by Francis Bacon (no relation to Delia), which was what Wilmot theorized as well. Francis Bacon was a philosopher and statesman, the original candidate in this theory, but only circumstantial evidence exists to show that he was the true author. For example, the similarities between his and Shakespeare’s writing, which, although interesting, provides no real proof. 

Another popular candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare’s work is Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. He was certainly part of the upper class and was likely educated well. Those who believe in this theory state that he must have used Shakespeare’s name to avoid the stigma that came from anyone in the nobility publishing their work.

Some say that it was Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare’s rival playwright, going as far as to claim he faked his death and then continued to write. It was all of these people combined, the indecisive will claim. A few will even tell you it was the Queen of England!

But all of these theories lack decisive proof. It is rather paradoxical that, after denouncing Shakespeare supposedly because of a shortage of proof, anti-Stratfordians put forth various baseless theories that have no more evidence than for Shakespeare. That’s because for many of these people, it’s not about the records: it’s the disbelief that William Shakespeare, son of a glover, ordinary in every way, and lacking higher education, was able to become such an acclaimed playwright. In the end, it comes down to classism, to saying, “it would make so much more sense if these plays were written by someone richer, someone smarter, someone better.” To this day, people can’t escape the pitfalls of the social class system and the prejudice that comes along with it. 

But in the end, it was Shakespeare’s name that was published with the works, and so, someday, we must learn to accept that greatness can come from the most unexpected places.

 

written by Srisha Nannapaneni

edited by Sarasi Rout and Tryphena Pilli

 

References:

Anti-Stratfordian. (n.d.). Poem Analysis. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://poemanalysis.com/definition/anti-stratfordian/

Biography.com Editors. (2015, April 24). William Shakespeare Biography. https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare

Grady, C. (2016, April 22). Why some people think Shakespeare didn’t write Shakespeare, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2016/4/22/11480192/shakepeare-400-anti-stratfordian-authorship-controversy

McCrum, R. (2020, March 26). Who really wrote Shakespeare? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/mar/14/who-wrote-shakespeare-james-shapiro

Miller, L. (2011, September 25). Contested will: who wrote Shakespeare? Salon. https://www.salon.com/2010/03/28/contested_will/

William Shakespeare’s life and times. (n.d.). Royal Shakespeare Company | RSC. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-life-and-times