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Although researchers discovered Shakespeare's will and several other personal documents, popular biographies published in the early 19th century stressed the contrast between Shakespeare's fame and how little biographical information was known.<ref>McCarter, Jeremy, "[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E6DB113EF931A35756C0A9669D8B63 A Question of Authorship]", ''New York Times, May 2, 2010</ref> Alternative theories of authorship concerning Homer and the Gospels also emerged at around this time. In 1857, American author Delia Bacon wrote a book arguing that Shakespeare was a fraud and the real author of his work was Sir Francis Bacon (no relation). This book kicked off the "Shakespeare authorship controversy," which continues to this day. Various late 19th century figures took up Bacon's cause, including Ignatius Donnelly, Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, and Helen Keller.

Although researchers discovered Shakespeare's will and several other personal documents, popular biographies published in the early 19th century stressed the contrast between Shakespeare's fame and how little biographical information was known.<ref>McCarter, Jeremy, "[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E6DB113EF931A35756C0A9669D8B63 A Question of Authorship]", ''New York Times, May 2, 2010</ref> Alternative theories of authorship concerning Homer and the Gospels also emerged at around this time. In 1857, American author Delia Bacon wrote a book arguing that Shakespeare was a fraud and the real author of his work was Sir Francis Bacon (no relation). This book kicked off the "Shakespeare authorship controversy," which continues to this day. Various late 19th century figures took up Bacon's cause, including Ignatius Donnelly, Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, and Helen Keller.

In 1895, a book by Wilbur G. Zeigler argued that English playwright [[Christopher Marlowe]] was the author of Shakespeare's plays.<ref>Zeigler, Wilbur G., ''It Was Marlowe'' (1895)</ref> While Marlowe's writing style is closer to Shakespeare's than that of any other suggested candidate,<ref>Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'' is written in a style similar to that of Marlowe's, so the two authors may have collaborated. See "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/30200393?&Search=yes&searchText=Marlowe&searchText=Christopher&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DChristopher%2BMarlowe%26fromHomePage%3Dtrue%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=5330&returnArticleService=showFullText&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Tamburlaine Stalks ''Henry VI'']" by Thomas Merriam.</ref> he suffers the disadvantage of having died in 1593 when Shakespeare's writing career was just beginning.<ref>Marlowe worked as an intelligence agent for Thomas Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster. Walsingham may have had Marlowe murdered for fear that his involvement with atheism would make him notorious.[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3647398/Who-killed-Christopher-Marlowe.html] The murderer was pardoned by the queen. See the [http://marlowe-shakespeare.blogspot.com/ The Marlowe-Shakespeare Connection] for the various (wildly implausible) faked death theories.</ref> In 1920, English author J. Thomas Looney suggested that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays. Looney argued that Oxford's travels in Europe and aristocratic life at the English court made him a more plausible author than an untitled glover's son. Since the 1920s, Looney's theory has been dominate among Shakespeare skeptics.<ref>[http://oxford-shakespeare.com/ The Oxford Authorship Site]</ref>

In 1895, a book by Wilbur G. Zeigler argued that English playwright [[Christopher Marlowe]] was the author of Shakespeare's plays.<ref>Zeigler, Wilbur G., ''It Was Marlowe'' (1895)</ref> While Marlowe's writing style is closer to Shakespeare's than that of any other suggested candidate,<ref>Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'' is written in a style similar to that of Marlowe's, so the two authors may have collaborated. See "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/30200393?&Search=yes&searchText=Marlowe&searchText=Christopher&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DChristopher%2BMarlowe%26fromHomePage%3Dtrue%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=5330&returnArticleService=showFullText&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Tamburlaine Stalks ''Henry VI'']" by Thomas Merriam.</ref> he suffers the disadvantage of having died in 1593 when Shakespeare's writing career was just beginning.<ref>Marlowe worked as an intelligence agent for Thomas Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster. Walsingham may have had Marlowe murdered for fear that his involvement with atheism would make him notorious.[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3647398/Who-killed-Christopher-Marlowe.html] The murderer was later pardoned by the queen. See the [http://marlowe-shakespeare.blogspot.com/ The Marlowe-Shakespeare Connection] for various wildly implausible faked death theories.</ref> In 1920, English author J. Thomas Looney suggested that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays. Looney argued that Oxford's travels in Europe and aristocratic life at the English court made him a more plausible author than an untitled glover's son. Since the 1920s, Looney's theory has been dominate among Shakespeare skeptics.<ref>[http://oxford-shakespeare.com/ The Oxford Authorship Site]</ref>

In the 1990s, computer style analysis at the Shakespeare Clinic at Claremont College in California established that Shakespeare had a writing style that is distinct from that of Bacon, Oxford, and other Elizabethan authors.<ref>Elliott, Ward E. Y.; Valenza, Robert J., "[http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ571023 And Then There Were None: Winnowing the Shakespeare Claimants]", ''Computers and the Humanities'', v30 n3 p191-245 1996. For a summary, see [http://www.shakespeareauthorship.com/ox6.html here].</ref> A comprehensive comparison between Oxford and Shakespeare published in 2004 rejected the claim that their styles are at all similar, except insofar as they are both Elizabethan writers.<ref>Elliott, Ward E.Y., and Robert J. Valenza, "[http://www.academia.edu/612631/Oxford_by_the_Numbers_What_Are_the_Odds_That_the_Earl_of_Oxford_Could_Have_Written_Shakespeares_Poems_and_Plays Oxford by the Numbers: What Are the Odds That the Earl of Oxford Could Have Written Shakespeare's Poems and Plays?]. "The odds that either could have written the

In the 1990s, computer style analysis at the Shakespeare Clinic at Claremont College in California established that Shakespeare had a writing style that is distinct from that of Bacon, Oxford, and other Elizabethan authors.<ref>Elliott, Ward E. Y.; Valenza, Robert J., "[http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ571023 And Then There Were None: Winnowing the Shakespeare Claimants]", ''Computers and the Humanities'', v30 n3 p191-245 1996. For a summary, see [http://www.shakespeareauthorship.com/ox6.html here].</ref> A comprehensive comparison between Oxford and Shakespeare published in 2004 found that their styles are not at all similar, except insofar as they are both Elizabethan writers.<ref>Elliott, Ward E.Y., and Robert J. Valenza, "[http://www.academia.edu/612631/Oxford_by_the_Numbers_What_Are_the_Odds_That_the_Earl_of_Oxford_Could_Have_Written_Shakespeares_Poems_and_Plays Oxford by the Numbers: What Are the Odds That the Earl of Oxford Could Have Written Shakespeare's Poems and Plays?]. "The odds that either could have written the

other’s work are much lower than the odds of getting hit by lightning."</ref> ''The Tempest'' is believed to have been inspired by the experiences of George Somers, who was shipwrecked in Bermuda in 1610. Oxford died in 1604. However, Oxford continues to receive enormous attention and was the subject of a 2011 movie by Roland Emmerich called ''Anonymous''.<ref>See also [https://doubtaboutwill.org/ The Shakespeare Authorship Coalition]</ref>

other’s work are much lower than the odds of getting hit by lightning."</ref> ''The Tempest'' is believed to have been inspired by the experiences of George Somers, who was shipwrecked in Bermuda in 1610. Oxford died in 1604. Despite these style and chronological difficulties, Oxford's claim continues to receive enormous attention.<ref>[https://doubtaboutwill.org/ The Shakespeare Authorship Coalition]</ref> It was the subject of a 2011 movie by Roland Emmerich called ''Anonymous''.

== List of plays<ref>[http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/bibliography/bibliography.htm Bibliography]</ref> ==

== List of plays<ref>[http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/bibliography/bibliography.htm Bibliography]</ref> ==