Single Page PFC

Table 1: The Prima Facie Case for Shakespearean Authorship
Cluster	#	Description of Evidence
I. Proof of Identity (Links name to man)	1	Title Pages: Shakespeare’s name is listed as the author on numerous plays and poems published during his lifetime (1593 onwards).
	7	Shakespeare Gent.: The author applied for and was granted a Coat of Arms… and was therefore entitled to the title of “Gent.” (“M.” or “Mr.”), which was applied to him in print and records.
	8	The ONLY Shakespeare Gent.: Only William Shakespeare of Stratford had the distinction of “Gent.” during that time period.
II. Proof of Theatrical Ties (Links man to company)	2	Sharer in Companies: Contemporary records show William Shakespeare was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the King’s Men.
	3	Well-documented Relationship: His personal and business relationship with fellow sharers (Burbage, Heminges, Condell, etc.) is well documented.
	4	Named in Will of Fellow Player: He was named as a “fellow” in the 1605 will of actor Augustine Phillips.
III. Proof of First Folio Link (Links man to works)	5	Fellow Player Named as Trustee: John Heminges (a Folio compiler) acted as a trustee for “William Shakespeare of Stratford” in a London property purchase.
	6	Left Money to Fellow Players: Shakespeare left money to Heminges, Burbage, and Condell (Folio compilers) to buy mourning rings in his will.
	9	A Worthy Fellow: Heminges and Condell explicitly state in the First Folio dedication that the works were written by “so worthy a friend and fellow…as was our Shakespeare.”

Summary of Convergence

The three clusters of evidence are designed to work together to establish the conclusion:

Identity proves that the name on the books belongs to only one man: William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Theatrical Ties proves that this man was a deep insider, a sharer and fellow of the company that performed and owned the plays.
Folio Link proves that the man’s closest theatrical associates, Heminges and Condell, explicitly identified him as their author when they compiled and published his complete works.

Conclusion: All evidence converges to support the central conclusion that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is the Author of the First Folio Works.