Your Last Name 1 Your Name Ms. Fougerousse English 10H Al Paper 14 January 2016 Perspective with Anti-Stratfordian Style While many claim that William Shakespeare is the sole author of the plays and sonnets bearing his name, there is evidence that proves the possibility of multiple authors of Shakespearean literature. It is known that William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon was only educated up to grammar school. In addition, being a playwright and actor during this time frame was not an honorable profession. Therefore, the literary ingenuity is too pervasive to assume that someone from such a poor academic background, seeking a low-paying career, could create these advanced and complex works. Therefore, more educated playwrights and poets during this timeframe probably used Shakespeare’s name as a pen name to enable the production of literature without losing their honorable standing in society. Dr. L. Kipp Wheeler of Carson Newman University, a professor of Shakespeare, writes, “Many point to educated Renaissance men like Sir Francis Bacon, or Edward de Vere (the Earl of Oxford) as more likely authors” (1). Edward de Vere was a likely author of Shakespearean plays. He was educated at Oxford University. He studied Italian and lived in Italy for a time. These qualifications would have provided de Vere with insight into the advanced language utilized in Shakespeare's plays as well as ingenuity in writing that accurately reflected behavior most often seen at court. For these reasons, it is evident that Shakespeare may very well not be the sole author of the literary productions bearing his name. ‘Even though there are some Shakespearean scholars who argue that Shakespeare deserves full recognition in regards to the authorship of the works bearing his name, anti- Stratfordians have sound arguments that prove that the formerly mentioned claims are inaccurate. Individuals opposing the anti-Stratfordians believe that the information provided is not sufficient enough to have a solid claim. There are three arguments against anti-Stratfordians that need to be debunked. To begin with,