Most of us have either read, watched or acted in one of William Shakespeare’s plays. This incredible body of work, including "Hamlet," "Richard III," "King Lear" and "Macbeth," contains some of the finest examples of writing in the English language.

 Yet there’s long been one nagging issue about Shakespeare. Did the “Bard of Avon” author all, some or none of the plays, sonnets and poems that are attributed to him?

 It’s never made sense to some people (including me) that the son of a glover who had no formal education and, according to several accounts, couldn’t sign his own name, could have written such beautiful masterpieces involving history and social commentary. It’s also hard to fathom how an actor with no contacts in the upper classes, and who barely had a farthing to his name, could have such deep, intrinsic knowledge of a world that he likely never discovered.

 Naturally, the Bard has his defenders. Noted Shakespearian scholars like Samuel Schoenbaum, Kenneth Muir and Stanley Wells have tried valiantly to dismiss any and all inconsistencies involving the English playwright.

 The classic example is the “lost years” (1585-1592). There’s no documented history of where Shakespeare was, or what he was doing, at that time. Schoenbaum, in his book "William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life" (1977), argued that “legendary heroes have legendary thirsts.” He proceeded to discuss Shakespeare’s fondness for Warwickshire brown ale — and that he may have stolen some deer from a nearby town, Fulbrook.

 That’s right. A respected academic believed that a love of grog, and a penchant for deer poaching, could help explain those missing years. Grasping at straws, much?

 Hence, it’s little wonder the Shakespearians (or Stratfordians) have gradually lost the higher ground to their opponents. There are 86 potential candidates who have been proposed as potential authors of Shakespeare’s work. This includes distinguished luminaries such as Francis Bacon, William Stanley, the 6th Earl of Derby, Henry Neville, and one of the more popular choices — Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.

 Now, exactly 500 years after Shakespeare’s death, a major publishing house, Oxford University Press, is leaning toward coauthorship with another popular alternative: Christopher Marlowe.

 A team of 23 academics from five countries determined, using various traditional (writing comparisons) and modern (computer technology) tools at their disposal, that Marlowe cowrote the three Henry VI plays with Shakespeare. Hence, the four-volume New Oxford Shakespeare will include his name as a coauthor.

 One of the general editors, Florida State University’s Gary Taylor, told The Guardian on Oct. 23: “The orthodox view was that Shakespeare didn’t collaborate at all. When the Oxford Shakespeare in 1986 proposed that eight plays of Shakespeare contained writing by other writers, some people were outraged. What has happened since 1986 is that the accumulation of new scholarship, techniques and resources has made it clear that, in 1986, we underestimated the amount of Shakespeare’s work that’s collaborative.”

 Here’s where the biggest change has occurred. “In 1986, eight of 39 plays were identified on their title pages as collaborative, a little more than 20 percent,” wrote Taylor. “In 2016, 17 of 44 plays are identified, a little more than 38 percent, close to two-fifths.”

 It’s therefore not surprising that Marlowe’s involvement with Henry VI has gained some traction.

 The English playwright was born exactly two months before Shakespeare. He was reportedly an influential figure in his fellow Elizabethan’s growth and development. The first piece under Shakespeare’s name, Venus and Adonis, was published a week or two after Marlowe’s death in 1593 (leading some to believe he faked his own demise). Side-by-side comparisons of their work, including comedies and sonnets, have revealed some intriguing similarities too.

 Marlowe’s coauthorship also serves a practical purpose. Shakespeare’s name isn’t being removed from Henry VI, which should please some defenders, but still acknowledges the intellectual argument that other figures may have contributed to his body of work.

 Alas, this development obviously won’t end the debate. When it comes to be, or not to be, the author of Shakespeare’s plays, the question still remains.

 Michael Taube, an occasional contributor, is a Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.