Shakespeare-pen name?

Question

I was supposed to read Hamlet for my summer reading. The questions ask for the "Author" and a "Pen Name (if applicable).

I'm not sure if I should put Shakespeare under author or pen name since some people think that Shakespeare was his pen name.

If I put it under pen name, then what would I put under author? And if I put it under author, then should I just leave the pen name blank?

Was Shakespeare really a pen name?

Answer 1

It's easier -- and TRUE! -- to come down on the side of believing that William Shakespeare was a real person who wrote beautiful plays and poems and that someone can overcome their background and lack of training with what we commonly refer to as "genius."  Now, there are books out there that will spend countless pages telling why it was Bacon or the Earl of Oxford or even Queen Elizabeth, but there are equally as many that can make an argument for the reality of Shakespeare; perhaps the most recent is Will in the World

Answer 2

I have no clue! Sorry, try asking your teacher.

Answer 3

Shakespeare wrote as William Shakespeare.  He did not have a pen name.

And it says pen name "if applicable."  Its not applicable.  So you can just leave it blank.