Can someone tell me...

[Helga]

OK, now I know this may sound stupid and we have probably talked about this a milion times. but none the less I'm asking....

people talk about Shakespeare not being the real author of the work we claim his. now I want a simple respond to this. how can they say that? somebody told me that no one could have written all these plays and sonnets but I don't belive that because there was an Icelandic author who was known for being able to make up a long poem in minuets and portray them. and many men have written more stories than Shakespeare did. plus the fact that not much is known about his life so we can't say how old he was when he started writing. i was 14 when my first poem was published and since then have I written many, many more and they say he died at 52, why couldn't he have written all of it?!

like I said I want a simple respond and your thoughts on this.

I have been thinking about this for a long time and I need something...

[mono]

This exact topic has proved much controversy in literary history; some say Shakespeare wrote all of his works himself, and others say he had A LOT of help, both voluntarily and throug plaigiarism; and some even say that the well known portrait of 'Shakespeare' is false.
Theorists continue to say that Shakespeare wrote only some of the works alone, but mostly with help from others who had much more expertise in other languages, and who had travelled to different countries; Shakespeare, himself, never travelled, making others skeptical, regarding how he knew so much about other countries, including Italy. People thought to have helped him: Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Donne, and many others, including Edward de Vere, a politician (whose nickname, inevitably, was 'spear-shaker'). I have heard nothing about an Icelandic writer, Helga, but thank you for enlightening me on the subject; I remain a skeptic when discussing this specific topic, but some theories exist strong.

[Scheherazade]

There has been similar discussion regarding Shakespeare on here, Helga and you might find the following threads helpful.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3274

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1956

[Helga]

I have heard that Christopher Marlowe helped him but not the others. I just don't see why people have to try and prove that he didn't write it all what difference would it make...
thank for this though and about the Icelandic poet, I think there are some websites related to oxford about him, his name was Matthias Jockumson and the reason I know this, I'm Icelandic and love his work it's beautyful. you should check it out

[Rumble]

Matthias Jockumson and the reason I know this, I'm Icelandic and love his work it's beautyful. you should check it out

Thanks for the tip!

The other part of the Shakespeare debate is whether Shakespeare was the author, or just the guy who wrote it all down for the company. In other words, a glorified scribe. (I think that's hogwash, personally)

[Ravioli]

Dear Helga,

As you probably know, many versions of the same play have often emerged. The reason for these discrepancies may be down to the transcribers who made copies after the play had finished at the Globe, perhaps even after Shakespeare had died! The theory is that the transcribers would find a member of a previous cast, for example of Hamlet or Lear, take them to the pub and buy them drinks while they recited the entire play. This would only account mostly for things missing between texts, but it might be something to do with what you originally heard.

Good luck finding the answer

Ravioli