The question of who was Will Shakespeare has been argued by academics and theater nerds for years. Could the man who was born to a local merchant, with a basic Elizabethan education and relatively meager prospects really be the man who wrote 36 timeless plays, invented new words and phrases, and whose work has endured nearly 500 years? Or is it possible that man from Stratford was just a pseudonym for someone else of more noble birth and higher education?

Throughout our series, we’ll explore the Man from Stratford’s life, history, and explore textual clues that will prove who owns Shakespeare’s words, relevance, and most importantly his legacy.