[1]

Lately, a small but 1 annoying group of scholars, writers, and students have been questioning William Shakespeare's place in the literary pantheon. For several hundred years, Shakespeare has been the undisputed master of English literature. Finally, his super-human status has turned against him. Now, people are beginning to ask whether an uneducated man raised by illiterate parents could truly have written these great plays. 2 These skeptics, known as "Oxfordians," believe that William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon, the figure to whom history has ascribed the plays, was not actually a writer, but the stand-in for an anonymous playwright. A wide variety of possible "true authors" have been proposed.

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Much of the argument revolves around the lack of records surrounding William Shakespeare of Stratford. There are no records from the Stratford Grammar School, so his earliest education is undocumented. Additionally, no personal letters from Shakespeare remain. The only examples of his writing are six signatures that appear sloppy. His parents signed their names with an "X." So did his daughters. 3 Despite all of this evidence suggesting that Shakespeare may have been illiterate.

[3]

Yet, the traditional Shakespeare scholars (called "Stratfordians") have little patience with these theories. In terms of Shakespeare's literacy, scholars point to reports written by the man's friends. The famous author Ben Johnson, for one, knew Shakespeare personally. He wrote often about Shakespeare's work, although his reviews rarely flattered his friend. Thomas Haywood noted that his friend of the "enchanted quill" 4 was liking to go by the nickname "Will." 5 These are only two of many examples. Thus, on the one hand, the Oxfordian's denial of Shakespeare's literacy makes arguments from lack of 6 information, on the other, the Stratfordian's argument rests on the reports of people who knew Shakespeare personally.

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Additionally, Shakespeare's plays reveal a dizzying number of details regarding contemporary manners among royalty and foreign cultures. The historical Shakespeare grew up in a small town, and never traveled abroad. The Oxfordians ask, "How could such a sheltered man have written so well about these matters of high culture and other lands?" The true author, they suggest, must have 7 been one of the most wealthy people in England.

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As for the questions about Shakespeare's lack of cultural exposure, historical examination debunks the skeptics' claims. In Shakespeare's time, the standard grammar school curriculum included quite a bit of the information contained in the plays. 8 Nevertheless, records reveal a book containing most of the allusions that show up in Shakespeare's plays 9 was donated by a private benefactor to Stratford's grammar school a few years after William's birth. Despite his genius, Shakespeare made quite a few mistakes in his descriptions. As he wrote boldly about places he had never visited, 10 except he made major geographical and political blunders in these descriptions. So, Shakespeare's lack of travel is consistent with the content of his plays.