Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Research Paper Outline

Thesis: Shakespeare was too uneducated to write his own plays.
       I.                        “As an individual of common birth, there is no way that such an individual would have the necessary grasp of languages, the classics, political theory, and history, necessary to write such works, whereas a high born and educated gentleman would.” http://www.williamshakespearefacts.net/did-shakespeare-write-his-plays.html
    II.                         Given the sheer number of plays, poems, and sonnets, it would be impossible for a single individual to produce so extensive a body of work.
 Linguistically and structurally, it has been suggested that both the language (lexicon) and writing style is far too varied, and would therefore point to a number of authors – and not necessarily including Shakespeare.
There is too little contemporary documentation linking Shakespeare to the plays and writings of associated to the 'Bard'. It cannot therefore be conclusively shown that Shakespeare is the author.
 III.                        Who else could have written them?
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere (1550-1604)
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
 IV.                        Arguments for Shakespeare:
Shakespeare, although a commoner, had received a sufficiently good education that included subjects such the classics, rhetoric, history, and Latin grammar, in order to be able to write such literary works.
The majority of the plays bear his name on the title page, including subsequent editions of the same play, albeit with some variation (such as Shake-speare instead of Shakespeare, for example).
The Shakespearean plays were performed by a company of actors variously known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men (1594-96), Lord Hunsdon's Men (1596-97), Lord Chamberlain's Men (1597-1603), and finally the King's Men 91603-42). Shakespeare was a central member of this company.
In 1610, and in a publication with the title The Scourge of Folly, John Davies' poem 'To our English Terence, Mr Will. Shake-speare', clearly identified William Shakespeare as a playwright – the word Terence referring to an ancient Roman playwright of that name.
With regards to the deeds to the Globe Theatre, there is documentation that proves that the William Shakespeare named on the deeds, and the William Shakespeare who appears in the Stratford-upon-Avon baptismal record of 1564, are one and the same person.
    V.                        Shakespeare’s education:
b.      There is no documentation that says Shakespeare went to school.
He did not go to any prestigious schools, just the one closest to his ho

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