Shakespeare-Bacon Theory
Preserved but no longer current.
The lack of culture and education ascribed to William Shakespeare started theories of some other authorship of his works so far back as 1769, and for many years desultory attempts were made to father his plays on contemporary poets and dramatists.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Shakespeare-Bacon Theory” mean?
The lack of culture and education ascribed to William Shakespeare started theories of some other authorship of his works so far back as 1769, and for many years desultory attempts were made to father his plays on contemporary poets and dramatists.
Is “Shakespeare-Bacon Theory” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.