The Merchant Of Venice

The people of England, namely Shakespeare and Elizabeth which influenced the play: The Merchant Of Venice. Today we shall look more into this...

Why is William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon an unlikely candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare’s works;

Shakespeare was born to a poor, working-class Warwickshire family which would not have had enough access to any of the resources such as education, libraries or capacity for abstract thought that an author would require to complete such an extraordinary body of work.

 Who are the possible candidates?

Edward de Vere, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Francis Bacon and Mary Sidney.

Who is the most likely candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare’s works? Provide reasons to support your view.

Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford is the most likely candidate. According to Kurt Kreiler's book, The Man Who Invented Shakespeare, The Earl gave himself the penname 'Spear-shaker' due to his ability at tournaments. Furthermore,  It is said that he had a prominent political career in court and was a well-regarded poet and sportsman. He was also a sponsor of acting companies such as the Oxford's Boys and a flamboyant nobleman.. As the Earl of one of England's most affluent and academic cities, Oxford would have been rich enough to travel to every country Shakespeare ever set a play in. He was also thought to have owned a home in Stratford from 1589 to 1616, which corresponds roughly with the time Shakespeare's canon was written.

 Elizabeth I: who was she?

Elizabeth I was the queen of England.

 What were England’s international relations like during Elizabeth’s reign?

England had strong international relations with countries that contributed significantly to the English
dominance in the colonial era during Elizabeth's reign. The queen maintained strong relations with the Ottoman Empire and North Africa, thus creating strong allies and maintaining effective trade. Furthermore, she established a long, peaceful process of trade with the Russian Tsardom which was one of the most powerful states in the 16th century.

 What was Shakespeare’s relationship with Elizabeth I?

Queen Elizabeth was a huge supporter of the arts in England and she also wrote poetry herself. She very much liked Shakespeare’s plays, and stood against the puritans who wished to close down the theatres. Later, she regularly invited Shakespeare and his acting company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later The King’s Men, to perform in her court.

Compare Elizabeth I to Portia. How is Portia’s character a tribute to Elizabeth I?

Portia and Elizabeth were equally intelligent. Queen Elizabeth used tactics to defeat the Spanish Amada and helped England prosper, while Portia was intelligent in finding the loophole of the bond between Shylock and Antonio together with the trick made about the rings.