William Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrights the world has ever known. Or is he? Shakespeare has been credited to have written over thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets, but there are many who argue that the validity of the famous Bard. Many critics in the world argue that Shakespeare is a fraud and that his plays were not written by him but other more famous figures who wrote under a pen name. So, where in this twist of facts and opinions lies the real truth? That will be for you to decide.
This project has two main goals: to discover what you can about the real William Shakespeare and to critically evaluate the websites you are viewing. Remember, there are a lot of opinions out there and they are not necessarily factual simply because they are posted on the Internet. Many people have a lot to gain from discrediting the English Bard and it will your groups job to discover where the truth can be separated from the fiction.
Your task: With a partner, your job will be to preview the links provided. You will reading through the listed websites to discover their stance on the issue and what they believe the inherent truth to be. Next, you will also be analyzing the website for authenticity, credibility, and accurateness. To help you get started on website evaluation portion of this project, read the helpful website below before you continue:
An Introduction to Webpage Evaluation: Evaluating Websites
Now that you have read some background information on why website evaluation is a critical step in web research you are ready to begin the project. Listed below are the links to the five webpages you must read. You will read through the website and on the worksheet provided, you will answer the five questions for each site visited. Also, for each site you visit, you must evaluate it based on its credibility. While you have these worksheets in front on you they can also be found on this website by clicking on the link for questions.
| Website | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| THE SHAKESPEARE-BACON THEORY | This website explores the idea that Sir Francis Bacon is the true author of Shakespeare's creative work. I chose this website because while it has a lot of information about this theory, there are not a lot of links to support the information. Also, many of the links on the page are extraneous links to content not related to the topic. |
| WILL THE REAL SHAKESPEARE PLEASE STAND UP? | This website offers a wonderful overview of the Shakespeare controversy while focusing on a few specific theories of alternative authors of Shakespeare's work. It also has an extensive bibliography page. |
| THE MAN WHO WROTE SHAKESPEARE | This website is very basic and offers little support for its content. I chose this website so that students can see the need for website evaluation. It is written as a poem and supports the concept of Edward de Vere being the true author of Shakespeare's famous works. |
| THE AUTHORSHIP DEBATE | This is another website that looks at the controversy of Shakespeare's authenticity while focusing on the key players. However, since it is a product of the Shakespeare Resource Center students must be cautious to consider their sources. |
| THE INTERNATIONAL MARLOWE-SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY | This website insists that Christopher Marlowe is the actual author of Shakespeare works. It has several links to support its research and uses video, blogs, and social networking sites, to endorse its message. |
Click here to view the questions you and your partner must answer for each website.
Once you have finished viewing all five webpages, click here to view the final culminating written project . Make sure to read all of the directions carefully and to use your best writing. There is a rubric attached to the project page so make sure you consult it in order to ensure that you are going to receive a good grade for your effort. As it says at the top of the page, this final portion of the assignment is an individual project, so thank your partner for their time and get to work on your solo culmination project.
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This website was last updated on Tuesday January 25th, 2011