Shakespeare
A Life

Park Honan uses a wealth of fresh information to dramatically alter our perceptions of Shakespeare the actor, poet, and playwright. The young poet's relationships, his early courtship of Anne Hathaway, their marriage, his attitudes to women such as Jennet Davenant, Marie Mountjoy, and his own daughters, are seen in a new light, illuminating Shakespeare's needs, habits, passions and concerns. Shakespeare: A Life casts new light on the complexity and fascination of Shakespeare's life and his extraordinary development as an artist.

Preface. Illustrations. Part I: A Stratford Youth. 1. Birth. Mother of the Child. 3. John Shakespeare's Fortunes. 4. To Grammar School. 5. Opportunity and Need. 6. Love and Early Marriage. Part II: Actor and Poet of the London Stage. 7. To London and the Amphitheatre Players. 8. Attitudes. 9. The City in September. 10. A Patron, Poems, and Company Work. 11. A Servant of the Lord Chamberlain. 12. New Place and the Country. Part III: The Maturity of Genius. 13. South of Julius Caesar's Tower. 14. Hamlet's Questions. 15. The King's Servants. 16. The Tragic Sublime. Part IV: The Last Phase. 17. Tales and Tempests. 18. A Gentleman's Choices. Notes. Appendix A: The families of Arden and Shakespeare. Appendix B: Descendants of Shakespeare's nephew Thomas Hart (b. 1605) down to the sale of the Birthplace in 1806. Appendix C: A note on the Shakespeare biographical tradition and sources for his life. Index.

Park Honan is a biographer and Emeritus Professor at the School of English, University of Leeds.