The Classified Front Runners

A group of Bankside aristocratic playwrights choosing their frontmen

A group of Bankside aristocratic playwrights choosing their frontmen

The Major Contenders

  1. Francis Bacon: The first and may be the foremost alternative; claimed to have used ciphers and hidden legal codes to hide his authorship. A true polymath, Bacon quite clearly didn’t have enough time to be Bacon, let alone anyone else.

  2. Christopher Marlowe: The “faked death” theory; suggests he survived the 1593 Deptford brawl and wrote from exile. For many, the only possible alternative. Could write like Shakespeare, who, had he died in the plague of 1593, would almost certainly today be thought the lesser playwright.

  3. Edward de Vere (17th Earl of Oxford): Once favourite proponents point to his life parallels with Hamlet and his travels in Italy and draw attention away from the fact he died before a third of the canon was written. Very much passé now, with female candidates starting to take precedence.

  4. William Stanley (6th Earl of Derby): Suggested because he was known to be “penning comedies for the common players” in the 1590s. None seem to have made it onto the professional stage where box-office appeal precedes any noblesse oblige.

  5. Henry Neville Brenda James and William Rubinstein (The Truth Will Out) built a massive case around Neville’s library and his “Tower Notebook,” Roger Stritmatter has recently been very vocal in claiming those Audley End annotations for Oxford instead. It’s a classic authorship turf war.

  6. Thomas Sackville (Lord Buckhurst): Co-author of the first English tragedy Gorboduc and supported by NASA, or at least by Dr. Sabrina Feldman, a planetary scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

The Aristocratic Committee

  1. Mary Sidney (Countess of Pembroke): A highly educated writer; some believe her “Sidney Circle” produced the works.

  2. Roger Manners (5th Earl of Rutland): Claimed because he visited the specific locations in Denmark and Italy featured in the plays.

  3. Henry Wriothesley (3rd Earl of Southampton): The patron of the sonnets; some argue he was more than just a dedicated supporter.

  4. Robert Devereux (2nd Earl of Essex): A theory that the “tragic hero” nature of the plays reflects his political rise and fall.

  5. Queen Elizabeth I: The theory that the Virgin Queen wrote the plays to express political views she couldn’t state as monarch.

  6. King James I: A fringe claim based on his interest in the occult and the “Scottish” influence in Macbeth.

  7. William Herbert (3rd Earl of Pembroke): One of the “Incomparable Paire of Brethren” to whom the First Folio was dedicated adn a better candidate than his son-in-law, the Earl of Oxford. Significant qualifications include living long enough to write the work.

  8. Philip Herbert (4th Earl of Montgomery): The other “Paired” brother; suggested as part of a family writing syndicate.

The “Group” and Intellectual Theories

  1. The Rosicrucians: A secret society alleged to have used the plays to disseminate esoteric wisdom.

  2. Sir Walter Raleigh: Often included in “School of Night” group theories due to his poetic skill and adventurous life.

  3. Fulke Greville: A poet and statesman whose biography of Sidney and political tragedies are used as stylistic evidence.

  4. Ben Jonson: While usually Shakespeare’s rival/friend, some argue he was the “mastermind” or editor of the entire canon.

  5. Thomas Nashe: A contemporary pamphleteer; his “extemporal vein” is seen by some in the early comedies.

  6. Robert Greene: Famously called Shakespeare an “upstart crow,” which some interpret as a hint that Shakespeare was a plagiarist.

  7. Thomas Lodge: A writer and sailor whose Rosalynde was a source for As You Like It.

  8. George Peele: A playwright frequently cited in stylometric studies as a possible co-author of Titus Andronicus.

International & Linguistic Claims

  1. Michelangelo Florio: An Italian Protestant whose son John Florio translated Montaigne; suggested to explain the Italian settings.

  2. John Florio: (Son of the above) An Elizabethan linguist; some believe he provided the “erudition” for the plays.

  3. Sheikh Zubayr (Sheikh al-Speir): An Arab theory (popularized by Gaddafi) suggesting the author was a Middle Eastern immigrant.

  4. Miguel de Cervantes: A theory based on the “Cardenio” lost play and the fact that both authors died on the same date.

  5. Emilia Lanier: One of the “Dark Lady” candidates; some argue she was a primary author or collaborator.

  6. Anne Hathaway: A fringe feminist theory suggesting William’s wife was the true creative force in the household.

The Obscure, Fictional, & Satirical

  1. Another man of the same name”: A famous quip suggesting the author was a different William Shakespeare.

  2. Patrick O’Toole: A satirical Irish claim that the name is a corruption of “Shaker O’Spear.”

  3. The Klingons: From Star Trek VI; the claim that one must read him in the “original Klingon.”

  4. The Doctor (Doctor Who): Various episodes imply the Time Lord provided the inspiration or the actual lines.

  5. Infinite Monkeys: The statistical theory that given enough time, a monkey at a typewriter would produce Hamlet.

  6. Malcolm X: Briefly mentioned in historical debates regarding the “black” or “outsider” influence in the texts.

  7. Lewis Carroll: A satirical “cipher” theory used to show that any text can be “proven” to be written by anyone.

  8. Daniel Defoe: An anachronistic claim used to mock the lack of historical rigor in some authorship theories.

  9. Thomas Heywood: A contemporary who claimed to have had an “entire hand” in 220 plays.

  10. Anthony Munday: A writer and spy; some claim his “hand” in the Sir Thomas More manuscript proves his involvement.

  11. Barnabe Barnes: A minor poet and “Dark Lady” claimant.

  12. Sir John Davies: A lawyer and poet; his legal mind is often linked to the legalisms in the plays.

  13. Lady Mary Wroth: The first English woman to write a prose romance; suggested as a female voice in the sonnets.

  14. Arabella Stuart: A cousin to Elizabeth I; some claim her tragic life is the source of the later romances.

  15. Elizabeth Cary: The first woman to publish a play in English (The Tragedy of Mariam).

  16. Thomas Kyd: Often cited as the author of the “Ur-Hamlet” that Shakespeare supposedly revised.

  17. Alexander Waugh’s “New” Candidates: Various minor Elizabethan courtiers identified through modern cryptology.

  18. Thomas North: Popularized recently by Michael Blanding and Michael Egan; the theory is that Shakespeare used North’s unpublished travel journals as “source plays.”

  19. Michael Drayton: A contemporary poet; legends say he was part of the “merry meeting” that led to Shakespeare’s death.

  20. Francis Drake: A “navigator” theory based on the naval knowledge in The Tempest.

  21. Thomas North: The translator of Plutarch’s Lives; recent theories suggest his unpublished journals were a primary source.

1.James Wilmot: An 18th-century clergyman; the first to “officially” doubt the Stratford man in his private papers.

William Byrd: The composer; some argue the “music of the spheres” in the plays requires a professional musician’s hand.

Inigo Jones: The stage designer; claimed to have written the masques in the later plays.

The Full List

No. Candidate Name Category / Note
1 Alexander, William (1st Earl of Stirling) Aristocratic poet
2 Andrewes, Lancelot Bishop of Winchester; translation style
3 Anson, William Obscure legal theorist
4 Bacon, Anthony Brother of Francis; intelligence agent
5 Bacon, Sir Francis Major Candidate; philosopher & statesman
6 Bacon, Sir Nicholas Father of Francis
7 Barnard, Lady (Elizabeth Hall) Shakespeare’s granddaughter
8 Barnes, Barnabe Poet and rival
9 Barnfield, Richard Poet; close associate
10 Basse, William Poet
11 Batman Fictional (Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman)
12 Blount, Sir Charles (Lord Mountjoy) Soldier and patron
13 Bodley, Sir Thomas Diplomat and scholar
14 Burbage, Richard Lead actor of the King’s Men
15 Burton, Robert Author of The Anatomy of Melancholy
16 Butts, Sir William Physician
17 Campion, Edmund Jesuit martyr; hidden Catholic theory
18 Cecil, Robert (1st Earl of Salisbury) Powerful statesman; “Polonius” figure
19 Cecil, William (Lord Burghley) Queen Elizabeth’s chief advisor
20 Cervantes, Miguel de Spanish author; contemporary genius
21 Chettle, Henry Playwright and printer
22 Coke, Sir Edward Jurist and lawyer
23 Coton, Pierre French Jesuit
24 Cotton, Sir Robert Antiquarian
25 Cowley, Abraham Poet
26 Daniel, Samuel Poet and historian
27 Davies, Sir John Poet and lawyer
28 Dee, John Occultist and mathematician
29 Devereux, Robert (2nd Earl of Essex) Favorite of Elizabeth I
30 Devereux, Walter (1st Earl of Essex) Aristocrat
31 Digges, Leonard Poet and translator
32 Donne, John Metaphysical poet
33 Drayton, Michael Poet; reputedly drank with Shakespeare
34 Dyer, Sir Edward Courtier and poet
35 Edwards, Richard Playwright
36 Elizabeth I Queen of England; Royal Authorship Theory
37 Ferrers, Henry Antiquary
38 Fletcher, John Playwright; known collaborator
39 Florio, John Italian linguist/translator
40 Florio, Michelangelo John Florio’s father
41 Garnet, Henry Jesuit priest
42 Gascoigne, George Poet and soldier
43 Greene, Robert One of the “University Wits”
44 Greville, Sir Fulke Poet and statesman
45 Griffin, Bartholomew Poet
46 Hastings, William Nobleman
47 Hathaway, Anne Shakespeare’s Wife
48 Herbert, Mary (Countess of Pembroke) Literary patron; First Folio dedicatee’s mother
49 Herbert, Philip (4th Earl of Pembroke) One of the “Incomparable Paire of Brethren”
50 Herbert, William (3rd Earl of Pembroke) Patron; candidate for “Mr. W.H.”
51 Heywood, Thomas Prolific playwright
52 Howard, Charles (Earl of Nottingham) Lord High Admiral
53 Howard, Henry (Earl of Surrey) Poet; inventor of blank verse
54 Hunsdon, Lord (George Carey) Patron of the Chamberlain’s Men
55 Infinite Monkeys Theoretical; The Infinite Monkey Theorem
56 James I King of England; scholar of demonology
57 Jonson, Ben Playwright; friend and rival
58 Kyd, Thomas Author of The Spanish Tragedy
59 Emilia Lanier Top female candidate
60 Lyly, William Grammarian
61 Lyly, John Playwright (Euphuism style)
62 Manners, Roger (5th Earl of Rutland) Aristocrat; traveled to Denmark
63 Marlowe, Christopher Major Candidate; The Marlovian Theory
64 Marston, John Satirist and playwright
65 Massinger, Philip Playwright
66 Mathew, Sir Toby MP and courtier
67 Middleton, Thomas Playwright; Macbeth reviser
68 More, Sir Thomas Lord Chancellor (Anachronistic)
69 Munday, Anthony Playwright
70 Nashe, Thomas Pamphleteer and playwright
71 Major Candidate Neville, Sir Henry Diplomat and MP
72 North, Sir Thomas Translator of Plutarch
73 Nugent, William (Baron Skryne) Irish rebel and poet
74 O’Toole, Patrick Folklore; The “Shaker O’Spear” Theory
75 Major Candidate Oxford, Earl of (Edward de Vere) Major Candidate; The Oxfordian Theory
76 Paget, Henry (2nd Baron Paget) Catholic exile
77 Peele, George Dramatist
78 Percy, William Poet
79 Pierce, William Obscure claimant
80 Porter, Henry Dramatist
81 Puttenham, George Critic; author of The Arte of English Poesie
82 Raleigh, Sir Walter Explorer, poet, courtier
83 Rowley, William Dramatist
84 Major Candidate Sackville, Thomas (Earl of Dorset) Co-author of Gorboduc
85 Seymour, William Aristocrat
86 Shapleigh, Sir William Fictional; 19th-century satire
87 Shakespeare, William Incumbent: See Prima Facie Case, oxfraud.com
88 Shakespeare, John Shakespeare’s father
89 Shirley, Sir Anthony Adventurer
90 Sidney, Sir Philip Poet and soldier
91 Smith, Wentworth Minor dramatist (Initialed “W.S.”)
92 Southampton, Earl of (H. Wriothesley) Dedicatee of the poems
93 Spenser, Edmund Author of The Faerie Queene
94 Stanley, William (6th Earl of Derby) The Derbyite Theory
95 Stuart, Arbella Noblewoman; cousin to James I
96 Talbot, Gilbert (Earl of Shrewsbury) Aristocrat
97 The Doctor Fictional (Time Lord from Doctor Who)
98 The Rosicrucians Secret Society (Group Theory)
99 Warner, William Poet
100 Watson, Thomas Poet
101 Webster, John Jacobean dramatist
102 Whateley, Anne Supposed “True” fiancée
103 Whitgift, John Archbishop of Canterbury
104 Wil’yam Sheq’spir (Klingon) Fictional (General Chang/Gorkon claim)
105 Wilson, Robert Dramatist
106 Wolsey, Thomas Cardinal (Anachronistic)
107 Wotton, Sir Henry Diplomat
108 Zubayr bin William, Shaykh “Sheikh al Speir” (Gaddafi Theory)