about 150 years after his death, some writers suggested that shakespeare did not actually write all of the works that are called his. they had various reasons for saying this. for example, the person who wrote "shakespeare’s works" knew a lot about other countries (especially italy and france), but william shakespeare never left england. several other writers of "shakespeare" have been suggested, such as francis bacon, christopher marlowe, and edward de vere, 17th earl of oxford. however, most scholars believe that william shakespeare did write the works that bear his name.