Shakespeare Argumentative Essay

Adam Johnson
Stokka
English 4, Period 1
6 December 2013 Does it really matter who wrote Shakespeare?
Who cares if Shakespeare did not write the greatest plays or sonnets of our millenium? Some research points to the theory that William Shakespeare was credited for plays that he did not write, but that does not change the everlasting impact Shakespearean works have had on the world. Shakespeare is like Santa Claus. He is real up to a certain point. Though Saint Nicholas did give presents to his neighbors, he does not travel all over the world to deliver presents to billions of children. Over time, the truth about him becomes faded and he starts becoming a more fictional character. Shakespeare was credited for work he may not have written, but does that matter? Did Santa really give away presents to the whole globe in one night? No, but Santa still has a significant impact on children all over the world. Not much is known about the real Saint Nick, but it is commonly accepted that he was indeed a good person. Santa is just like William Shakespeare and his plays. Shakespeare will be an iconic writer for a very long time whether he wrote his plays or not. The impact he had on our modern world is enormous. Shakespeare added three thousand new words to the English language (Kurlak). He also wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets that are still read and admired today. Whether Shakespeare wrote them or not makes no difference, The impact is from the words, not the elusive figure who wrote them. Events happen in the world, it does not matter who is responsible, all that is important is that they occurred.
William Shakespeare will always be the name of an iconic writer of our time. Shakespeare may or may not be responsible for the great influence on our English language, but it is not that big of a deal. Does it matter what the name of the man who was responsible for the Holocaust was? Sure it was Adolf Hitler, but in the end does that really matter? All that matters is that the events in the Holocaust occurred. Shakespeare is just a name, not a series of events, not three thousand new vocabulary terms, not 38 society-altering plays, not 154 influential sonnets, he is still just a man. Secondly, there is not a scrap of true, complete evidence that points to an alternative authorship to Shakespeare’s plays ( Cleopatra). If there is no true evidence against Shakespeare’s authorship then why should it matter to challenge his authorship in the first place? I know that there are,” possible candidates,” for the true Shakespeare, but there is no real proof. In order to challenge something you need evidence to support your claim. Just like this paper, I would not be able to state anything without evidence from a reliable source. We may never know who the true author was unless evidence is found that proves otherwise. But until that time, who cares? There is no need to be focusing on silly conspiracies that lead to nowhere.
Though Shakespeare’s impact stretches far beyond a name, some see the importance of finding the real author of Shakespearean plays and sonnets. These masterpieces are what our society have been basing theatrical performances off of for the past four or five centuries! Many find it imperative that society knows who the true creator of these plays is. If Shakespeare is everything that he is made up to be, then good! That just means that we knew all along and had our historic facts straight. If some of those plays were made by another man, then things might be different. If we discovered that it was actually Francis Bacon who wrote these plays then college and high school courses may change tremendously. In the end though, who cares! The world will not change and society will not dramatically change just because a different man wrote the greatest plays of all time.
Shakespeare is the name of probably the greatest author in history. His plays will be used around the world for a very long time. Yet it will not matter ten years from now if someone discovers he was not the true author. In my opinion, nothing will change if Francis Bacon wrote the plays. It is important to know this so you do not end up wasting your time on this topic. Shakespeare will always be the greatest name in the history of theater arts. Whether he wrote his plays or not, this will remain the same. Moreover, I do not believe there is any evidence that leads to Shakespeare not being the true author. There is no proof that he is a fraud so I cannot believe him to be one. Basically what I am saying is, do not bother looking for the true author of Shakespeare’s plays. To me, this is equivalent to finding out who really shot John F. Kennedy, or who was behind the 9/11 attack. It is a silly conspiracy that does not need to be looked into, or over thought about.

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