00:00 Many people have questioned whether William Shakespeare actually wrote the works attributed to him.

01:43 The idea that someone other than Shakespeare may have written his works originated from the fact that for 150 years after his death, he wasn't considered the greatest English playwright and there is little evidence of his literacy or his family's literacy.

03:12 Shakespeare's lack of evidence of literacy, education, travel, and written documents raises doubts about whether he actually wrote his works.

04:45 The lack of evidence in Shakespeare's will and the absence of claims or mentions of his writings by himself, his children, or others, along with the support of notable figures, raises doubts about whether Shakespeare actually wrote his works.

06:23 The main candidates for the authorship of Shakespeare's works are Sir Roger Bacon, Christopher Marlow, and the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward Devere, with Devere having the most support due to his highly educated aristocratic background and close ties to Queen Elizabeth.

07:54 Edward Devere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, had the education, travel experience, and praise from members of Elizabeth's court that would make him a likely candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare's works, despite the lack of surviving plays under his name, while William Shakespeare, whose name is attached to the works, lacks the background and evidence to support him being the author.

09:19 The theory suggests that William Shakespeare was just a frontman for Edward Devere, and while there is no hard evidence for either side, the fact remains that the works attributed to Shakespeare are some of the greatest literary works in English history.