Luke Cutright

Mr Poindexter
Honors English 9
23 February 2016

Renaissance Editorial
Some people believe that artists in the Renaissance did not create their own plays and
art, but they are wrong. A prime example is the theory that Shakespeare was not the one who
wrote the plays credited to him. People believe this theory for a number of reasons, including his
lack of higher education, the lack of proof of his authorship, and the existence of more qualified
individuals. However, this theory is obviously false because, while there is evidence to suggest
that he did write the plays, all doubt is pure speculation with no facts to back it up.
People think that Shakespeare did not have enough intelligence to write his own plays,
but that is obviously untrue. He attended the Stratford grammar school at age six or seven. John
Shakespeare (his father) made him attend to inspire William to read and write stories. Just
because he didn't attend college doesn't mean he couldn't write; more modern people like Ray
Bradbury and Charles Dickens never graduated college and have both written some very
famous books. Ones imagination cannot be limited by his intelligence, and that is true about
anyone, including Shakespeare.
People believe that Shakespeare did not write his own plays is because a man named
Edward de Vere wrote them for him, but that can't be because he died before some of the plays
were even written. He died on June 27, 1604. All the well known plays such as Macbeth, Julius
Caesar and King Lear were written after his death. He lived in Hedingham Castle, and
Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon- Avon. It seems highly unlikely that Shakespeare could
claim the plays as his own if he wasnt the one who wrote them.

Some people believe that Shakespeare didn't write his plays because there is little to no
evidence that he did write them, just signatures from his marriage to Anne Hathaway. However,
Shakespeare's name appears on all of his plays, and he was a very talented actor. If he was a
fake, how would he perform so well and have so much understanding of the plays? Evidence for
the Bard having written his plays comes from the First Folio of 1623. This book compiled 36 of
Shakespeares plays, recording and publishing them for the first time. Its co-author John
Hemminges was also a shareholder of the Globe and belonged to the acting company The Lord
Chamberlains Men (later renamed The Kings Men), as did Shakespeare and so would have
been privy to the true author.
Shakespeare must have written his own plays, because he did have a good enough
education to learn how to write professionally, and there cant be anyone else that could have
written them. Without a reason to disprove that Shakespeare wrote his own plays, then
Shakespeare had to have written his own plays. He had the imagination and ability to write, he
was incredibly good at acting, and the journal that contained all of Shakespeares original
sonnets and plays, there is no reason for people to doubt that he wrote his own pieces.