shakespeare.com FAQ

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Who wrote the great plays and sonnets?

Most scholars who study the subject believe that "William Shakespeare" the author of the plays and poetry, was William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon. However, there are some who claim that the "real" Shakespeare was Edward DeVere, the Earl of Oxford, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, or several others. The authors of these FAQs believe that William Shakespeare was William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon. These FAQs reflect that belief. Those who advocate other persons as the "real" Shakespeare will, of course, have different facts about the life of Shakespeare. For more information about those other candidates you might look at:

Edward DeVere, Earl of Oxford: http://www.shakespeare-oxford.com/

Francis Bacon: http://fly.hiwaay.net/~paul/outline.html

Christopher Marlowe: http://www.marlowe-society.org/

For balance you should also look at a site that responds to the various claims made for other candidates and supports the theory that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare: http://ShakespeareAuthorship.com/

but one of the shakespeare.com FAQs