William Shakespeare Research Paper

Although there is much debate on whether or not William Shakespeare is the true author of his plays, the fact remains that he is the true author. Even if he weren't, it wouldn't change the fact that the plays are still meaningful and should be studied. For this reason, this debate isn’t incredibly important, but it should still be considered in order to reveal truth. A common theory is that the true author of the stories of Shakespeare is Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. De Vere, however, died in 1604.1 The Tempest, however, is estimated by multiple educational sources including Sparknotes, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Shmoop to have been written between 1610 and 1611.2, 3, 4 If this estimation is correct, there is no way de Vere could have written The Tempest. Shakespeare himself died in 1616,5 so it must be he who wrote the play. Multiple sources also estimate that King Lear was written between 1604 and 1606.6, 7, 8 This same principle also applies with Macbeth, which is estimated to have been written between 1605 and 1606.9, 10, 11, 12 This same idea applies for Cymbeline,13, 14, 15 The Winter’s Tale,16, 17, 18 and Timon of Athens,19, 20 as well as some others. Because there are so many plays estimated to have been written

In Palladis Tamia, paragraph 63, written by Francis Meres, in 1598, Shakespeare is referred to as one of the best poets of his time.27 Francis Meres also credits Shakespeare with writing many plays including Gentlemen of Verona, Errors, Love Labors Lost, Love Labors Won, Midsummers Night Dreame, Merchant of Venice, Richard the 2, Richard the 3, Henry the 4, King Iohn, Titus Andronicus, and Romeo and Juliet.27 Many of Shakespeare’s works, when originally published, were said on the covers to have been written by William Shakespeare, including Love’s Labor’s Lost, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, Henry IV Part 2, Much Ado about Nothing, Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, King Lear, Pericles, and Troilus and