Speculation about Shakespeare William Shakespeare

1 speculation shakespeare

1.1 authorship
1.2 religion
1.3 sexuality
1.4 portraiture

speculation shakespeare
authorship

around 230 years after shakespeare s death, doubts began expressed authorship of works attributed him. proposed alternative candidates include francis bacon, christopher marlowe, , edward de vere, 17th earl of oxford. several group theories have been proposed. small minority of academics believe there reason question traditional attribution, interest in subject, particularly oxfordian theory of shakespeare authorship, continues 21st century.

religion

some scholars claim members of shakespeare s family catholics, @ time when practicing catholicism in england against law. shakespeare s mother, mary arden, came pious catholic family. strongest evidence might catholic statement of faith signed father, john shakespeare, found in 1757 in rafters of former house in henley street. however, document lost , scholars differ authenticity. in 1591, authorities reported john shakespeare had missed church fear of process debt , common catholic excuse. in 1606, name of william s daughter susanna appears on list of failed attend easter communion in stratford. several scholars have noted, whatever private views, shakespeare conformed official state religion , park honan put it. also, shakespeare s uses protestant formula, , confirmed member of church of england, married, children baptized, , buried. other authors argue there lack of evidence shakespeare s religious beliefs. scholars find evidence both , against shakespeare s catholicism, protestantism, or lack of belief in plays, truth may impossible prove.

sexuality

few details of shakespeare s sexuality known. @ 18, married 26-year-old anne hathaway, pregnant. susanna, first of 3 children, born 6 months later on 26 may 1583. on centuries, readers have posited shakespeare s sonnets autobiographical, , point them evidence of love young man. others read same passages expression of intense friendship rather romantic love. 26 so-called dark lady sonnets, addressed married woman, taken evidence of heterosexual liaisons.

portraiture

no written contemporary description of shakespeare s physical appearance survives, , no evidence suggests ever commissioned portrait, droeshout engraving, ben jonson approved of likeness, , stratford monument provide perhaps best evidence of appearance. 18th century, desire authentic shakespeare portraits fuelled claims various surviving pictures depicted shakespeare. demand led production of several fake portraits, misattributions, repaintings, , relabelling of portraits of other people.