Shakespeare of London

I'm not well-read in Shakespeare, but I would like to be after peering into this "life-sized portrait." The biography avoids literary analysis of Shakespeare and instead focuses upon the actor and playwright as a contemporary man. What I appreciated was how humble yet hardworking was this man

considered by most to be the greatest writer in the English language. The remarkable research and authority with which the biographer recounts Shakespeare's life makes me tend to reject the now-popular idea that perhaps Shakespeare wasn't the author of classical works attributed to him.
We read in context how Shakespeare combined popular (Plutarchian) Greek heroes and plots with rudimentary (sometimes flawed) knowledge of contemporary history and developed delightful entertainment for the masses, resisting the tendency toward academic snobbery and instead crediting the general public with enough intelligence to appreciate a richly detailed story. For that, and also in large part due to the good fortune of living in an enlightened age, Shakespeare was and will forever be rewarded.
Readers like me will appreciate that Shakespeare was--to some degree--a talented hack who displayed a knack for characterization and whose reputation is largely based upon his appeal to the common crowd. The infusion of Shakespearean passages throughout this biographical account is lovely and helps develop an appreciation for the writing craft of old.

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LibraryThing member EricCostello

Enjoyable biography of the landmark playwright, which shows how he fitted into the society of London and Warwickshire of his time. The book first came out in 1949, so it may well have been superseded by more recent scholarship. What interested me was the bits and pieces showing legal transactions

involving Shakespeare.

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