Shakespeare authorship question
Shakespeare's authorship was first questioned in the middle of the 19th century.  At that time the idea that Shakespeare was the greatest writer of all time had become widespread. Shakespeare had a simple background, and many details of his life are unknown. Those that are known do not necessarily support his authorship. These facts seemed to be incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius. Some people suspected that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him. The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and 80 authorship candidates have been proposed, including those most studied, Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.