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:hi:
The debate over whether William Shakespeare was an individual writer, or a collaborative force writing under a pseudonym has raged for hundreds of years, with neither side gaining a significant following over the other.
Rather than bore you with a limp, half-baked assessment of the debate, let me recommend to you an excellent book that contains all of the best arguements pro and con on both sides of the divide. The book is "The Friendly Shakespeare" by Norrie Epstein. You can pick it up on Amazon or any bookstore.
Personally, I think Shakespeare was who he seemed to be; A brilliant man from a thriving provincial town who came to London to make his fortune. He acted for wages and wrote as a journeyman playwright until he could afford to purchase an interest in a theater company. His combination of shrewd business maneuvering and his highly popular plays made him a wealthy man. He was able to attain his lifelong dream: Being awarded a coat of arms, and the title 'Gentleman'.
The notions that he was actually someone else in disguise, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Henry, the Earl of Southampton, or even Queen Elizabeth or King James I are simply ludicrous.
I adhere to this idea forwarded by Leonora Eyre: "The thing about the anti-Stratfordians {people who think Shakespeare is at the center of some massive conspiracy, and didn't really write the plays} is that they really would prefer any crackpot theory rather than the simple idea that Shakespeare really was Shakespeare."
BTW, I'm flattered that you guys thought of me in all this. ;-)
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