According to this, the author could not have lived passed 1623. Another theory concerning the age of the author is found in the quality of the poetry printed after 1604. The works published before 1604 contained almost no misprints or mistakes, while the verse published post-1604 has many. This is thought to mean that the author was no longer around to make sure the printing and publishing was thorough and correct. .
There is no doubt that these great literary works were written by a highly intellectual man because the content is so intelligent and profound. A strong educational background is therefore needed. It is also necessary that the author be fluent, or at least familiar, in many languages, such as French, Italian, Latin and Greek. This is a valid point because almost all of the Shakespearean plays are based upon or stemmed from another author's work, many of which were not translated to English yet (Bethel 50). Some examples of this are Hamlet, which was taken from the French Histoires Tragiques; the French dialogue contained in Henry V; Othello, which was based on the .
3.
Italian Hecatommithi; and both The Rape of Lucrece and The Comedy of Errors had not been translated into English at this point in time (50). The works also depict an author who was knowledgeable in both Latin and Greek (50). The point also must be made that the author shouldn't have only been knowledgeable in foreign languages, but also have access to the literature from which so much has been derived. .
It is also necessary that the Shakespearean author have much knowledge of foreign lands. Of course, much of this information could be found in books, but there are some instances, such as the specific places mentioned in The Merchant of Venice, which strongly suggest that the author had been there to experience it for himself (58). This draws the conclusion that the author had great knowledge of foreign lands and traveled quite often.