Was Shakspere educated enough to write Shakespeare's plays and poems?

The questions surrounding the issue of Shakspere's ability to author his famous plays have been argued by experts for years. The focal point of the debates has been Shakspere's education or lack thereof. Some educators believe that the author of the Shakespeare plays had to be an expert in over thirty different areas of study. Law, medicine, military tactics, and psychology are just a few of the topics discussed in detail throughout many of the plays.

There is no clear and convincing evidence to suggest that Shakspere had the opportunity to obtain any advanced formal education at all. While there was a very good grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon during Shakspere's childhood, it is doubtful that a basic grammar school would have medicine or law courses as part of their syllabus.

The idea that Shakespeare was a genius and did not need an education to write his plays has been proposed as well. Common sense would tell us that even a genius would need some sort of introduction to a topic before they could even begin to understand it. Shakespeare probably never even had the opportunity to see a biology textbook. How could he, then, have the medical knowledge required to write about this very complicated subject in his works?

To believe or not to believe, that is really the question. Regardless of how we might answer that question, there is no doubt that the works with Shakespeare's name will be enjoyed for years to come.

--Kevin J. Consedine

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