SHAKESPEARE'S MYSTERY

1. MYSTERY ONE 

ASSIGNMENT

The Stratfordian Theory
You may already know a lot about William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon, and that's okay.  This will give you a chance to review, and maybe you'll even learn something new!  You'll begin your WebQuest by uncovering information about William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.  You may want to include information about his birth, education, life growing up, and adult life.  For this step, don't worry about finding evidence supporting or denying that William Shakespeare was the author of Shakespeare's works.  Your goal here is to become familiar with William Shakespeare's life so that you can give your classmates a brief biography of him.

First, take a look at the Poets.org site.  It has a short, yet information-filled biography of William Shakespeare.  What important facts about his life might you want to tell your peers? (This is only to get you thinking.  Feel free to answer in any way you'd like). 
The Shakespeare Resource Center also gives a good biography (found here: http://www.bardweb.net/man.html).  Consider especially the information it includes on his adult life.
Finally, consider the Biography Channel's biography of William (found here: http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323).  They have a lot of information about his life.  You may find the information on his beginnings in the theatre (p. 2) to be interesting.
Now that you know who William Shakespeare was, you can take a look at the evidence supporting his authorship of Shakespeare's works.
The nationally syndicated podcast Skeptoid argues strongly in favour of William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon as the true author of Shakespeare's work.  What evidence do they give?  See the last paragraph of the transcript.
Also in support of William Shakespeare's authorship is the Shakespeare Authorship Page.  Why do they believe that the man from Stratford-upon-Avon is the true author of the text? Consider the section titled "How We Know Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare" in detail (found here: http://shakespeareauthorship.com/howdowe.html). 
In The Shakespeare Enigma, some interviewees point to what evidence Shakespeare wrote his works. To view this link, you'll need a username and password, which you can find on the whiteboard.  The segments you will want to watch are titled "Shakespeare's Early Life" and "Shakespeare's Authorship and Tourism."
Yet considerable debate remains.  View these sites that argue against William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon as the true author of his works.
The Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable is a website devoted to exploring multiple views of authorship.  Why do they say there is such debate amongst scholars as to the true identity of Shakespeare?  To find this answer, click on the section "Candidates" across the top of the page and then click "William Shakespeare." 
In The Shakespeare Enigma segment "Shakespeare's Early Life," they point to one major reason why the authorship issue exists.  What is it? 
Concordia University, Portland has a program devoted to studying the authorship controversy.  Why do they find the man from Stratford-upon-Avon to be such an outlandish choice for the authorship?  View the document "The Shakespeare Authorship Controversy."

1. Who was Shakespeare?           

http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323

2. When was he born? Are there any records?

3. Where did Shakespeare study?

                   4. When did he become a popular writer? (Dates)

                   5. When did he die? (Date)

                  6. Where is Shakespeare’s tomb?

     http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3506702/Shakespeare-grave-missing-skull-according-radar-         survey-Bard-s-resting-place.html

7. What is written on Shakespeare’s epitaph? Why is it significant? Who is Delia Bacon? What did she want to do, but she could not?

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/11/13/cultura/1321173109.html

8. Why is the size of Shakespeare’s tomb so relevant? (ask your teacher)

9. How has his grave been studied?

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/secret-history-shakespeares-tomb

10. What mystery has been discovered after the study of the tomb?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/channel-4s-secret-history-shakespeares-7613441

11. Where are Shakespeare’s original manuscripts?

http://shakespeareauthorship.com/survival.html

http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/literature/publishing/manuscripts.html

http://es.slideshare.net/simonaspirits/el-teatro-isabelino-shakespeare-30696512

12. What is Shakespeare’s First Folio?

http://www.bl.uk/collection-items/shakespeares-first-folio#

13. What is the mystery of Shakespeare’s signature?

https://politicworm.com/oxford-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be-shakespeare/why-notwilliam/ the-authorship-question-2/how-he-spelled-his-name/six-signatures/

14. Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays? The group Theory. 

http://www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk

http://www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk/pages/candidates.htm

http://www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk/pages/candidates/collab.htm

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?

http://blognosololiteratura.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/el-enigma-de-shakespeare.html

This question must be asked to the whole class after watching the other class mystery as well. Find some quotations to support your opinion.

2. MYSTERY  TWO

ASSIGNMENT

1. WHo was Marlowe?

http://www.biography.com/people/christopher-marlowe-9399572

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe

2. When was he born?

3. Name some of his plays.

4. Was he an Agent?

5. Why was he arrested?

6. Who ruled England during this period?

7. How did Marlowe die? Why is it so relevant in this mystery?

8. What role did the British government play in Marlowe’s death?

9. Was Marlowe really a Heretic?

10. What similarities exist between Marlowe’s writing and Shakespeare’s?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlovian_theory_of_Shakespeare_authorship

11. What relation is established between Marlowe, Italy, and Shakespeare’s Italian style or influence in his work after 1953? 12. What is Shakespeare's authorship problem?

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/10/did-shakespeare-really-write-his-plays-a-fewtheories- examined/

http://www.javiersierra.com/w/escribio-william-shakespeare-sus-grandes-obras/

http://www.shakespeareanauthorshiptrust.org.uk/pages/candidates/marlowe.htm

13. What association to Shakespeare is presented by the Marlowe society that leads to believe that Marlowe’s death is related to Shakespeare’s writings?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTM0wW2SNlU

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ros-barber/did-christopher-marlowe-f_b_4723165.html Make a chronological history of the doubts surrounding the authorship of Shakespeare canon. ( 1728, 1769, 1785, 1852, 1857, 1891)

http://www.oocities.org/gil4life10/ShakespeareWebquest.htm

http://djkelchner.tripod.com/dankelchnerenglishmrkrucli/id26.html

14. Why was I never told about this mystery?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyVjR9FNo9w

Name famous people who doubt Shakespeare’s authorship.

15. What is the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition?

http://doubtaboutwill.org