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Who was Shakespeare? Who was Shakespeare?
The Stratfordian position The Stratfordian position
The Post-Stratfordian position The Post-Stratfordian position
William Shakespeare was a woman William Shakespeare was a woman
William Shakespeare was part of a collective William Shakespeare was part of a collective
Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford was Shakespeare Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford was Shakespeare
It is there in black and white It is there in black and white
Shakespeare was a common man from Warwickshire Shakespeare was a common man from Warwickshire
Shakespeare's name is on the plays and poems attributed to him Shakespeare's name is on the plays and poems attributed to him
Where is the documentation? Where is the documentation?
There were rumors during Shakespeare's life There were rumors during Shakespeare's life
An education gap An education gap
Shakespeare’s detailed will makes no mention of books or literature Shakespeare’s detailed will makes no mention of books or literature
Not all of Shakespeare's plays were published in his lifetime Not all of Shakespeare's plays were published in his lifetime
The two Shakespeares The two Shakespeares
The case for Francis Bacon The case for Francis Bacon
The case for Christopher Marlowe The case for Christopher Marlowe
The case for Edward de Vere The case for Edward de Vere
The case for Walter Raleigh The case for Walter Raleigh
The feminization of Shakespeare The feminization of Shakespeare
There is sufficient motive There is sufficient motive
William Shakespeare was an 'excellent gentlewoman' William Shakespeare was an 'excellent gentlewoman'
Shakespeare had a hidden code Shakespeare had a hidden code
The case for Emilia Bassano The case for Emilia Bassano
Several of Shakespeare's plays are collaborative efforts Several of Shakespeare's plays are collaborative efforts
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Who was Shakespeare?
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The Post-Stratfordian position

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Not all of Shakespeare's plays were published in his lifetime

Around 16 plays were published following his death. As a career writer that published for money, this is highly irregular.
Robert Brazil
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Context

Shakespeare died in 1616, before 16 of his plays had been published. They were later published in print in 1623.[1]

The Argument

As a writer for money, it seems inconceivable that Shakespeare would not want to publish and capitalise on his masterpieces while he was alive. Also, his daughter, Susanna, who automatically inherited the rights of his plays, never sought financial imbursement from the sales of the 1623 Folio. This is also not characteristic of a descendent of the author.

Counter arguments

The fact that many of his plays were published posthumously has nothing to do with the authorship debate. Following Shakespeare's death, two of Shakespeare's former colleagues in the King's Men acting company, John Heminge and Henry Condell, collected all the plays Shakespeare wrote and published the First Folio in 1623. They did so out of an appreciation for their former colleague's work.[2] There could have been any number of personal or professional reasons why Shakespeare chose not to publish those plays. We cannot make wild assertions about the authorship of the plays simply because the Bard decided not to publish them in his lifetime.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Shakespeare wrote for money. [P2] But not all of his plays were published in his lifetime. [P3] If Shakespeare wrote those plays, he would have published them in his lifetime to maximise earnings. [P4] Therefore, Shakespeare likely did not write those plays.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P4] There could be any number of reasons why Shakespeare chose not to publish those plays.

References

  1. http://www.elizabethanauthors.org/problem.htm
  2. https://www.folger.edu/publishing-shakespeare
This page was last edited on Monday, 20 Jan 2020 at 09:50 UTC

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