The Shakespeare Authorship Question

At the heart of our awareness of the writings of William Shakespearethere is a great mystery, which is often known as the Shakespeare Authorship Question. For over 150 years this question – whether the actor who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and died there in 1616 actually wrote the plays – has continued to perplex well-educated and intelligent people. Although often dismissed by orthodox Stratfordian scholars (those who believe that Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the works attributed to him), it shows no signs of disappearing and, indeed, in recent years has returned with a vengeance as a subject of intense debate, especially in the United States.