Shakespeare Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shakespeare Research Paper - Essay Example This paper examines and explores the foundations of this theory which in fact grants Francis Bacon the authorship of William Shakespeare’s works. The analysis of the said theory primarily focuses on providing a rationale and arguments which support this supposition. The approach which has been adopted in the paper is based on assessing the theory from an evaluative perspective which is based on identifying the proposals of the advocates of this theory and responses of individuals who doubt this claim. In conclusion, the paper answers a critical question that has been perpetuated by those who remain fascinated by the world of English literature: was William Shakespeare solely responsible for penning down the literary works we link with him? At the heart of the Shakespeare authorship debate is a woman named Delia Bacon, as stated by Shapiro, â€Å"Delia Bacon, more than anyone before or after, was responsible for triggering what would come to be known as the Shakespeare authors hip controversy† (18). ... Thus, Bacon’s objective of unmasking the reality of Shakespeare was motivated by the underlying political characteristics of the playwright’s masterpieces which she could only associate with individuals such as Francis Bacon. Shahan and Waugh assert that despite of the reservations of critics who view Delia Bacon’s account with uncertainty and ambiguity because of her eventual descend into psychological illness, the scholar employed â€Å"†¦remarkably modern methods of literary analysis† to arrive at her claim (204). While, this feature of her account certainly lends weight to the Baconian theory, the critical and intriguing question that has emerged is, why Francis Bacon? The answer to which has been provided in scholarly sources that are evaluated in the paper. According to Shapiro, the name of Francis Bacon soon emerged as one of the key contenders who could be revealed as the ‘real’ Shakespeare (19). As a one of the most prominent ind ividuals of Renaissance, Francis Bacon was a man of many talents; well-read, well-traveled and with the ability to engage the reader with his gifted writing talent. In 1594, he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth to serve as her literary counsel, not only that, through the works for which he was indeed credited such as the eminent Essays, the Novum Organum and the Instauratio Magna, Francis Bacon displayed his extraordinary literary capability (Shapiro 19). Even after his death in 1626, Bacon’s admirers in France upheld his philosophical works in the highest regard, by celebrating the scientist’s life and his contribution to the establishment of social reform. Shapiro claims that a significant