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Shakespeare is a cultural icon, the essence of Englishness, and the figurehead
of English Literature. Shakespeare is also big business, generating vast amounts
of tourist revenue for the town of Stratford and its community, and contributing
to the profits of numerous publishers and theatres.
 It is perhaps surprising then, to learn that there are some people
who believe that Shakespeare's plays were not written by
William Shakespeare. They suggest that there is very little evidence
to link him to the plays, and they question whether his education
and social background would have enabled him to write the plays
that are now famous the world over. They believe it is more likely
that someone else wrote them under his name.
Over the years, various other candidates have been suggested
and many have subsequently been discounted. Today, the main challenge
to the authorship of William Shakespeare is provided by Edward
De Vere, the Earl of Oxford. Those who support his claim are known
as 'Oxfordians'. Similarly, those who believe that William Shakespeare
is the 'real' author are known as 'Stratfordians'.
There are many websites devoted to Shakespeare. They include
those produced by respected institutions offering scholarly resources;
others providing more light-hearted and entertaining productions;
and some that are simply bizarre!
Many of them discuss the authorship debate, with varying degrees
of reliability. The websites included below address the authorship
debate directly and illustrate the sort of arguments put forward
by the supporters of the various candidates.
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