I know what you mean about people wanting Shakespeare to be all "artsy." There are plenty of people who create very emotional work, but who aren't particularly emotional themselves because their art is how they express it. Even so, that's socially awkward like the proverbial whoa. I think you're right. If Shakespeare was indeed the actor from Stratford, he was totally a geek. He probably dealt better with his own characters than with real people.

I'm a big fan of Edward de Vere as a candidate, but that's mostly because I love the idea of nobility slumming it with the theatre crowd (not necessarily to be all Byronic and emo...I'll bet it was the most fun he ever had). Marlowe was Marlowe; he gets interesting theories all to himself. I actually like to speculate on him more just because he was such a rascal.