Is there any proof that Shakespeare wrote his plays?

There is no direct proof that William Shakespeare wrote the many plays and poems published in his name during his lifetime and subsequent centuries, and many theorists have advanced a number of alternative authorship candidates or collaborators over the years.

However, a significant bulk of historical and circumstantial evidence, such as references to the plays by contemporary figures; historical records showing Shakespeare as an actor-sharer in the Lord Chamberlain's Men who was in possession of original manuscripts; records linking him to specific publishing firms and theatrical enterprises; his last will and testament (which mentioned "my manuscripts"); contemporary praise lauding him as a talented dramatist and poet ; as well as a lack of credible documentation pointing to the existence or role of an alternative candidate with sufficient literary knowledge or credentials, have traditionally led leading figures within academia and scholarly research to assign authorship of the "Shakespeare canon"to William Shakespeare without reservation.