What are two theories as to why or not shakespeare wrote all the works he was given credit?

Answer 1

There are a number of possible theories as to which plays Shakespeare wrote, and also which ones he wrote without a collaborator. Some say he wrote Edward III, some say not, although he was not given credit for it. On the other hand, he was given credit for writing Pericles, Henry VIII and Macbeth, and there are a lot of people who are pretty sure that some other writer had a hand in those plays. There are several theories as to which one it might have been. The Two Noble Kinsmen was credited to John Fletcher and Shakespeare as collaborators, but for the longest time many people believed that Shakespeare had not collaborated on that play. There is a theory that Shakespeare was a collaborator on George Peele's Edward I, but didn't get credit for it. As you see, there are numerous possible theories involving Shakespeare writing things he was not credited with or not writing parts of the plays he is credited with. Theories that he didn't write anything at all have been advanced, but the evidence is so strongly against them that they are not worth considering.

Answer 2

One theory is the "group theory," which suggests that Shakespeare collaborated with other writers or was part of a group of writers who collectively produced the works attributed to him. Another theory is the "authorship question," which proposes that someone other than Shakespeare, such as Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe, actually wrote the works.