William Shakespeare

Anthony Holden builds on what we know about Shakespeare by inferring how his work told us more about him, his thought and experiences and how these in turn fed into his work. Therefore this is not so much a biography as an analysis of the synthesis of Shakespeare's works and life. The author of course outlines William Shakespeare's life . Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, on 26 April, 1564; his father John Shakespeare, a respected burgess of Stratford, his mother Mary Arden, the daughter of a well to do farmer, through whom the family acquired some property. Shakespeare was schooled at Stratford, and married Anne Hathaway, after getting her pregnant, she being eight years older than him, and had by her three daughters. Shakespeare left for London some time between 1585 and 1587, in consequence for what it was said was a deer-stealing frolic on the estate of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote. He was said to have taken charge of the horses at the theatre door and later to have become an actor. His first poetical work Venus and Adonis appeared in 1593, and Lucrece the year after. He became connected with various theatres in some of which he bought shares and acted., thus earning enough to buy a house in his native place, where he chiefly resided for ten years before his death. Of the bard's futher history we know but a few facts; there is record of him having bought land near Stratford in 1602; a year later he figured in Burbabges Company at the Blackfriars theatre in London; there is record too, of actions brought by him against certain people. mostly for debts. In 1613 he was purchasing more property in London. In 1616 he appeded a signature to his will, dying about a month later from it is alleged, the results of over-indulgence from a convivial meeting with Ben Johnson and Drayton. He was buried at the church in Stratford. The author dissects Shakespeare's plays, drawing our attention in one passage to Shakespeare's lack of geographical knowledge of Europe, pointing out that Shakespeare give Bohemia a coast (A Winter's Tale), makes ports of Milan (The Tempest) and Verona (The Two Gentlemen of Verona), and gives Padua a ferry to Venice (The Merchant of Venice), where he sets two plays without once mentioning water in the streets! This volume by Holden traces his life together with his work, analyzing how his plays and other works reflected his personal philosophy and experiences. including the memories and experiences acquired from childhood, his relationships and his patronage by Elizabeth I and James I. The author contributes to analysis and deeper understanding of several of his plays. making this an important tool for studying his works as much as for tracing his life.

I found "William Shakespeare: His Life and Work" to be both entertaining and smart. I enjoyed learning about the nature of the performances of Shakespeare's plays, and the political and social details surrounding their writing. I also enjoyed a very thorough and smart review of the various documents, court records, and correspondence that provide a framework for a common-sense biography. For example, through a document review, the author locates a young Shakespeare as a private tutor and page in an upper class home, his name partly changed for safety's sake, given his family's Catholic leanings. Also, the famous dedication "For W.H., the only begetter of these Sonnets" refers to Will Hathaway, Shakespeare's impecunious brother-in-law. (The author alleges Mr. Hathaway secretly sold the text of the Sonnets to an unscrupulous publisher.) In short, this is the most comprehensive and intellectually honest analysis of Shakespeare's life and works I have read.