There is a huge literature attributing the works of Shakespeare to Edward de Vere. I have read much of it, and find it convincing, but not yet definitive. Since I am his relative (6th cousin 10x removed) I thought I would start a discussion on his claims (which he never made). There is adrift out there in cinema-land a movie "Anonymous" asserting the claims, it is still a lively issue. A good place to start, if anyone is interested, is Looney's book on on Oxford as Shakespeare, available free on Google Play. Several other books are also available, as well as a growing number of books that sell for real money. One of the most convincing to me was Hank Whittemore's "The Monument" a detailed analysis of the Sonnets, which (in my opinion) pretty well destroys the belief that Shakspere had anything to do with them. The close correspondence of the events of de Vere's life and the words of the sonnets make a strong prima facie case for de Vere's authorship, at least of the poems. There is a strong whiff of class-consciousness in those who claim de Vere as the author. He was wealthy, highly educated (two degrees from Camabridge as a 16 year-old and an honorary M.A. from Oxford (along with Queen Elizabeth the alleged lover and mother of the Earl of Southampton (a great detective story!). There is no convincing evidence that Shakspere was even able to read and write. .