DeVere or Shakespeare?Abstract: The debate over the legitimacy of the authorship of Shakespeare's works has been debated for centuries. While many scholars believe that Shakespeare's plays were written by figures such as Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, William Stanley, and others, the most heated debate today is between William Shakespeare and Edward DeVere, the Earl of Oxford. Each side of this debate has many followers, the Stratfordians, or those who argue that Shakespeare is the real author, and the Oxfordians who believe the real credit should go to DeVere. My article, far from being a comprehensive analysis of the possibilities of Shakespearean authorship, attempts to summarize and rationalize the arguments of these two groups. It would be impossible to include all the arguments and evidence in a document like this. Entire books have been written about aspects of the debate that I won't even mention, or can barely touch upon. Hopefully, however, after reading this article you have a slightly better understanding of the authorship debate. Since I am in no way a scholar on the subject, I will not attempt to draw a conclusion as to which of these men is the author, but rather to inform and explain the numerous arguments on both sides of this debate in the hope that the reader can learn more about the ongoing debate and form your own opinion. In countries around the world the name William Shakespeare recalls the literary genius, a character so famous for eloquence and creativity that no one else comes close to him. him in prestige. Yet for centuries scholars, students and readers have debated a truly fundamental question: whether or not plays and poems credit William...... middle of paper ......rpose-to designate a pseudonym without confusion (Whalen 32).* Principal actors in Shakespeare's First Folio plays included Jon Heminge, Henry Condell, and Richard Burbage, the same three who appeared in the final edition of Shakespeare's will (Whalen 51).* Oxford was said to be an excellent playwright, yet no work written under his name has ever been found (Whalen 127). Works Cited "A Beginner's Guide to the Problem of Shakespeare's Authorship." Online. October 31, 1999. Available http: www.shakespeare-oxford.com/guide/htm.Kathman, Dave and Tom Reedy. “How We Know Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare: The Historical Facts.” Online. November 2, 1999. Available http: www.clark.net/pub/tross/ws/howdowe.html.Michell, John. Who wrote Shakespeare? London: Thames and Hudson, 1996.Whalen, Richard F. Shakespeare-Who Was He? Westport: Praeger, 1994.