Who Was William Shakespeare An Introduction to the Life and Works [Hardcover]

A new study of Shakespeare’s life and times, which illuminates our understanding and appreciation of his works.

• Combines an accessible fully historicised treatment of both the life and the plays, suited to both undergraduate and popular audiences
• Looks at 24 of the most significant plays and the sonnets through the lens of various aspects of Shakespeare’s life and historical environment
• Addresses four of the most significant issues that shaped Shakespeare’s career:  education, religion, social status, and theatre
• Examines theatre as an institution and the literary environment of early modern London
• Explains and dispatches conspiracy theories about authorship

Acknowledgments xi

Part I The Life 1

1 Who was William Shakespeare? 3

2 Writing 23

3 Religion 47

4 Status 61

5 Theatre 79

Part II The Plays 97

6 Comedies: Shakespeare’s Social Life 99

The Comedy of Errors 99

The Taming of the Shrew 108

Love’s Labour’s Lost 119

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 125

The Merchant of Venice 132

Much Ado About Nothing 138

As You Like It 146

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will 153

Measure for Measure 159

7 English and Roman Histories: Shakespeare’s Politics 177

Richard II 177

1 Henry IV 182

Henry V 192

Richard III 198

Julius Caesar 204

Coriolanus 210

8 Tragedies: Shakespl“O