Expert Circle

Topic 1

Many scholars and historians all feel that the name “William Shakespeare” is a pen name for he real author of the plays to hide from the public and many scholars and literature historians all feel that the thought that “William Shakespeare” was simply a pen name is counted a fringe belief. Then, Shakespeare’s biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius,arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him. The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford. The full list is available at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare_authorship_candidates. I feel that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford is the most likely candidate to have written Shakespeare’s works. Edward was a well-educated and well-traveled nobleman of Queen Elizabeth court which may be comparable with the intelligence of William Shakespeare as William needed to very intelligent and also smart to be able to have written so many superb and historical plays which are still being acted and read till date. Another reason is that Edward was also not known being a playwright or a writer, and simply attributed to have high level of intelligence, which William Shakespeare may have wanted, not wanting anyone to recognise him for anything, if he used a pen name to avoid the public. Edward was also known to be pursuing literature, which William Shakespeare should be doing because the only reason he wrote so many plays was because he loved literature. Last but not least, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare is very close, with the birth date being unknown, only that it is known that he was baptised in 1564, which may be possible as Edward was born in 1550. However, there is a 14-year difference in the year of death, which may also be caused by mistake during recording such as assuming that he was dead just because he disappeared and left.

Topic 2

Queen Elizabeth was the queen of England and Ireland with her reign beginning from the 17th November 1558. Queen Elizabeth was also the last of the tudor dynasty. She was the successor of the Catholic Mary 1. There were a lot of dramatic shifts in the foreign policy as the Monarch became part of the Franco-Spanish-Burgundian triangle. Queen Elizabeth was alike with her grandfather, but her reign sees England in a fight with the Brussels and also England win the Spanish Armada in a war. She cared a lot about the European situation and she often changed the foreign policy. She then subsequently noticed that re-examination of the old-fashioned and well-trodden paths of her ancestors were needed. The king of Spain, the World’s most powerful man wanted Queen Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. However due to the fact that it would offend the citizens of England to have such direct relationships with Spain, hence she rejected the offer from Spain’s king. Queen Elizabeth was also very fond of William Shakespeare’s plays, as he always hinted passages which referred to Queen Elizabeth. She was simply a supporter of all plays and masques.

Topic 4

There was war happening often in Venice in the 14th and 15th century. However, Venice was an important trading centre and art centre because of Venice’s stable political climate. There was over a hundred thousand during the 15th to 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice and there were also a lot of craftsmen of different sectors roaming around Venice. Venice was also located along the main trading routes during the Renaissence. Jews were banned from England from 1290, but there are laws to protect those who support the city’s economy. Venice accepted the Jews a bit more than Elizabeth England, but the Jews were confined to ghettos when William Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice.

Topic 6

Shakespeare’s plays were mainly performed in the Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre has a simple exterior design but a more complicated interior design. As there was no lighting equipment in the theatre, hence the plays were mostly performed in the afternoon. The acquoustics and the actors needed to shout out their lines due to the poor conditions. The actors also stressed their enunciation and exaggerated in their theatrical gestures. The language was hence descriptive as the theatre was open aired and there were little scenery in the theatre. The Lord’s Chamberlain Men acted in William Shakespeare’s plays. Everyone was able to watch Shakespeare’s play as the minimum entrance fee was one penny which needed the person to stand throughout the whole play. Pay two penny and they will be able to sit on covered benches. Richer people would sit above or just to the side of the stage in the Lords’ rooms. Plays were banned temporarily due to plague in 1572 and all the actors were expelled formally from the city. This sparked off the building of playhouses. In the past, the conditions of the Globe Theatre was very terrible and the design was most probably adapted from inn-yards. However, the current Globe Theatre is a lot different. It was rebuilt 2 times. One was because the theatre was burned down by a fire and the second one was for renovation.