The William Shakespeare’s humanism and an English national character Contents Introduction Chapter I william shakespeare

Conclusion
I have titled this work Shakespeare the Renaissance Humanist because I think whatever it has to say about him arises ultimately out of the forces of Renaissance Christian humanism as i describe it later in this chapter. i might have also titled the book Shakespeare and Moral Philosophy because it talks more about moral philosophy as such than about the humanism in question by its name, and “moral philosophy” in fact appears in the subtitle. However, for the main title, this would have been putting the cart before the horse. Moral philosophy, as I will argue, was the practical everyday expression of humanism at work in every field of endeavor.¹ In its own way, it fused the elements that came to constitute humanism and its numerous shifting phases and changes out of medievalism into what we call modernism, and by doing so it made it a way of life capable of discussion in its own day. Moral philosophy was the practical expression of humanism in the streets of Renaissance Europe and it is in light of this “street humanism” that the present work considers those of Shakespeare’s plays to which it refers to explain what they say. One works one’s way through humanism more or less part by part according to the identifiable major trends of which it was made and of which it came to constitute, and the path I have chosen in the following pages in relation to Shakespeare is that of moral philosophy as the creative force of an abstract metaphysics in daily life.
The most serious and intense skepticism began in the 19th century when adoration for Shakespeare was at its highest. The detractors believed that the only hard evidence surrounding Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon described a man from modest beginnings who married young and became successful in real estate. 
Members of the Shakespeare Oxford Society (founded in 1957) put forth arguments that English aristocrat and poet Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the poems and plays of "William Shakespeare." 
The Oxfordians cite de Vere's extensive knowledge of aristocratic society, his education, and the structural similarities between his poetry and that found in the works attributed to Shakespeare. They contend that Shakespeare had neither the education nor the literary training to write such eloquent prose and create such rich characters.
However, the vast majority of Shakespearean scholars contend that Shakespeare wrote all his own plays. They point out that other playwrights of the time also had sketchy histories and came from modest backgrounds. 
They contend that Stratford's New Grammar School curriculum of Latin and the classics could have provided a good foundation for literary writers. Supporters of Shakespeare's authorship argue that the lack of evidence about Shakespeare's life doesn't mean his life didn't exist. They point to evidence that displays his name on the title pages of published poems and plays. 
Examples exist of authors and critics of the time acknowledging Shakespeare as the author of plays such as The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and King John. 
There is also strong circumstantial evidence of personal relationships by contemporaries who interacted with Shakespeare as an actor and a playwright.
Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry. 
Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language.