“To be or not to be”: Did Shakespeare even exist?

Summary

The article explores the enduring mystery and various theories regarding the true authorship of the works attributed to William Shakespeare, questioning whether the Stratford actor was indeed the literary genius behind the plays and sonnets.

Abstract

The content delves into the historical and cultural debate surrounding the identity of Shakespeare, examining the skepticism towards the traditional attribution of his works. It references the film "Anonymous," which presents the theory that Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, was the actual playwright. The article acknowledges the scarcity of personal documents about Shakespeare, which fuels the speculation about his literacy and capacity to produce such a vast and profound body of work. Alternative candidates for the authorship include Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, and even Christopher Marlowe, as well as the less conventional theory proposed by Martino Iuvara, suggesting Michelangelo Florio, a Sicilian scholar, as the "real" Shakespeare. The article also touches on the linguistic analysis using algorithms to detect potential collaborators in Shakespeare's writing. Despite the controversies, the article emphasizes the unique and enduring legacy of Shakespeare's works, suggesting that the true identity of the author, whether William Shakespeare or another, is secondary to the genius of the literature itself.

Opinions

The author admits to initial skepticism about Shakespeare's sole authorship due to the sheer volume and quality of his works.
The movie "Anonymous" is cited as a fictional representation that challenges Shakespeare's claim to the plays, proposing Edward De Vere as the true author.
Despite doubts, there is an underlying belief in the possibility of extraordinary intelligence, which could support Shakespeare's sole authorship.
The article presents the theory by Martino Iuvara that Shakespeare was actually Michelangelo Florio, a Sicilian, based on the Italian settings of his plays and Florio's surname.
Official records confirm the existence of William Shakespeare of Stratford and his involvement in the theatrical world, but doubts persist about whether he wrote all the credited works alone.
Linguistic and stylistic analysis, including algorithmic studies, suggest the possibility of collaboration with other playwrights.
The author concludes that the genius of Shakespeare's works transcends the question of authorship, affirming the eternal nature of his literary contributions.

“To be or not to be”: Did Shakespeare even exist?

A look into the theories surrounding the literary genius

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Have you watched “Anonymous”? Set during the political turmoil of Elizabethan England, the movie follows the theory that it was, in fact, Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare’s plays and Shakespeare was nothing but a “merely player”.

Sincerely, I have always had my doubts about William Shakespeare; his greatness and genius would just bother me, I did not want to accept that it was fair for one person to have accomplished so many works each having a great artistic value. Yet, proving him a complete fraud, even in fiction was a heart-break.

It did not however tear down my innocent belief which was hidden deep down my soul -somewhere beneath my jealousy- that kept its faith in the existence of pure intelligence.

Yes, the question of who Shakespeare really was is one of the endless debates in the literary world. More than 400 years have passed since his death, yet the mysteries surrounding William Shakespeare continue to inflame academics and scholars. And the fact that there are only very few documents about him only increases curiosity: was the son of the Stratford-upon-Avon glover really the author of immortal works such as Romeo and Juliet, the Merchant of Venice, Othello? Who was really the author of these extraordinary works? The Stratford actor, revered by the British, but semi-illiterate? Or that long list of possible alter egos from all corners of the world Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, even Marlowe himself?

In recent years, the hypothesis has emerged that the “real” Shakespeare was actually a scholar of Sicilian origins. In his book “Shakespeare era italiano” (2002), Sicilian professor Martino Iuvara claims that Shakespeare was, in fact, Michelangelo Florio who was born in the Sicilian city of Messina on 23 April 1564. The theory relies on Michelangelo’s maternal surname Crollalanza (crolla-shake and lancia — spear).

According to this theory, the Messina family was forced to flee due to the fearsome Sicilian inquisition, taking refuge first in Veneto and then in England. These hypotheses seem to be supported by the Italian settings of the Shakespearean works as in Much Ado About Nothing (Messina), Othello (Venice) and Romeo and Juliet (Verona). The question is- can these elaborate depictions of Italian cities convince us that Shakespeare was indeed Italian?

As the official records suggest, there was undoubtedly a man William Shakespeare of Stratford upon Avon, and he married Anne Hathaway. There are several documents and references to his being alive at the time.

Records also show that Shakespeare became a leading member of the Lord Chamberlains Men in 1594. Did he write all the plays alone that were credited to him? Maybe not. There is no reason to believe that, apart from the inevitable human interest in conspiracy theories, Shakespeare did not write his plays.

In terms of linguistic and stylistic elements, researchers have even used an algorithm to analyze Shakespeare’s writing and possible traces of other playwrights. However, all they could indicate was the probability of collaboration.

To me, what matters most is that there are 38 plays and 154 sonnets left over from a life of 52 years, and those works are unlike any other in world literature. As for hundreds of legends about him; I think they only prove Shakespeare’s great ability to write every kind of human condition perfectly. The name William Shakespeare might be nothing but a shell, still there lies a genius beneath. So whoever is for real:

Though our story is at an end, our poet’s is not; for his monument is everliving. Not of stone but of verse. And it shall be remembered. As long as words are made of breath. And breath of life. -from Anonymous

Reference:

Iuvara, M. (2002). Shakespeare era italiano. Ispica: Associazione Trinacria.

Shakespeare Documented. 2018. Shakespeare’s Company. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 September 2020].

Irving, M., 2016. Computer Analysis Reveals Shakespeare’s Collaborators. [online] New Atlas. Available at: [Accessed 28 September 2020].

Anonymous. 2011. [film] Directed by R. Emmerich.