Op Ed

He Was A Poet… But Did He Know It? In the piece "There's No Doubt It's Will" Stanley Wells makes a convincing argument refuting the theory of how William Shakespeare may have not been a real author, rather a pen name of some sort. Throughout the years a few people have questioned the legitimacy of Sir William Shakespeare and if he did in fact write all the plays and poems that he is so well known for. The uncertainty of Shakespeare's identity is not a well known issue, as Wells is aware of, so he supports his argument with background information. The evidence Wells gives is displayed in a manor that is unbiased and allows the reader to get a good understanding of the topic before he makes his claim. From there, he uses his evidence to validate his opinion that there is no doubt that William Shakespeare is the true author of the works he is acclaimed for.

In the first few paragraphs, Wells lets the reader know his position on the subject while also giving background to the issue he is going to be addressing. He tells the reader immediately that a few people have questioned if Shakespeare is a real person or a pen name for a humble aristocrat. He then goes on to show specific examples, that are all legitimate, of how there is no doubt that Shakespeare was a real person and author as he is praised by name in the books of many authors. He states that Shakespeare's full name appears on his works and there has even been a book that collected all of his works known as the First Folio and includes a portrait of the Shakespeare himself. In the next half of Well's article he then disproves any contradicting evidence which strengthens his argument. While there may have been little biographical information, any other proposed identity for Sir William Shakespeare is simply illogical. He explains how people think that Shakespeare was fake because he is not known to have traveled overseas and that there is no way he could have received a supplementary education that