The world has come to accept that William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, during the year of 1564. The register of Holy trinity, the parish church in Stratford, records his baptism on April 26. According to the custom at the time, infants were baptized about three days after their birth. William’s father was a glover, trader, and landowner who married Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowner of Wilmcote. Therefore, the generally accepted date for Shakespeare’s birth is April 23 (World Book 344). John Shakespeare, William’s father rose [by election] to the position of Alderman in 1565; and in 1568 he was elected Bailiff, the equivalent to mayor (Reedy & Kathman). It’s believed that because William’s father was a town official

One of the biggest theories that have been entertained over the course of history is that whoever wrote Shakespeare’s Works, must have been written by an educated aristocrat. Only someone intimately familiar with court life, they assert, could have written as realistically about kings and dukes and the corridors of power (Kathman). The Anti-Strafordians', those who deny Shakespeare being the true author, have many canidates for the title of Shakespeare. However, their favorite candidate for the true author is Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. The Earl of Oxford was a descendant of a family that had served at the right hand of the English monarchy beginning with the Norman Invasion of 1066 (Frontline). Oxford was a very intelligent aristocrat who earned a degree when he was still a very young boy.

During this time, the English cared little about keeping biographical information unrelated to affairs of the church or state. Playwrighting was not a highly regarded occupation; knowing this they saw no need to record in any form dramatists. Much of the concrete factual information we know of Shakespeare and playwrights such as him comes from church registers and accounts of business dealings and sometimes these documentation’s don’t exist. Scholars have to do a lot of detective work, which is the case for Shakespeare, relating those records to various aspects of Elizabethan history and society, and fill in the gaps yourself.

, the young William was entitled to a free education at the Kings school. It has been accepted [for the most part] that William Shakespeare attended the Stratford grammar school. The Stratford grammar school prepared students for the university; however there is no evidence that William ever attended a university. The reason being is when William Shakespeare was thirteen his father suffered business losses. William was pulled from school and apprenticed to a trade, not an uncommon occurrence during the Elizabethan Age.

[write about a mini intro as to why his works weren’t given much concern until…]

The Elizabethan period witnessed the spread of capitalism, the growth of trade and industry, and the beginnings of colonization in the Western Hemisphere

During the 1800’s, admiration for Shakespeare grew so intense that it resulted in a critical-uncritical to some-attitude toward the man and his works. These particular people admired the plays that they refused to believe an actor could have written th

Some topics in this essay:
Elizabethan Age, Earl Oxford, William Shakespeare, Globe Theater, Hamlet Oxford, Hathaway November, Stratford-upon-Avon England, Western Hemisphere, England Frontline, Shakespeare London, william shakespeare, earl oxford, shakespeare’s plays, world book, elizabethan age, william’s father, 17th earl oxford, queen elizabeth, plays company, edward de, de vere, stratford grammar school, world book 346, edward de vere,