Doubt of Shakespeare's Authorship of His Plays
Over the years, various persons have expressed doubt as to the
authorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his plays.
American author, Henry James once said, "I am haunted by the conviction that the
divine William is the biggest and the most successful fraud ever practiced on a
patient world. (Hoffman 27) On the other hand, author Calvin Hoffman was
convinced that Shakespeare was "the author of the most magnificent English
dramatic prose and poetry ever written. (Hoffman 27) But, he reiterated this
belief nineteen years later, stating, "They are magnificent! Only, William
Shakespeare of Stratford-on- Avon never wrote the plays and poems." (Hoffman 27)
Crime, guilt, fraud, exile, hate, deceit, and murder are all woven into
this shroud of authorship that hides the identity of the world's most renowned
writer. Cranks have proposed over fifty candidates for authorship, from Queen
Elizabeth to the......
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