Overview
This original and enlightening book casts fresh light on Shakespeare by examining the lives of his relatives, friends, fellow-actors, collaborators and patrons both in their own right and in relation to his life. Well-known figures such as Richard Burbage, Ben Jonson and Thomas Middleton are freshly considered; little-known but relevant lives are brought to the fore, and revisionist views are expressed on such matters as Shakespeare's wealth, his family and personal relationships, and his social status. Written by a distinguished team, including some of the foremost biographers, writers and Shakespeare scholars of today, this enthralling volume forms an original contribution to Shakespearian biography and Elizabethan and Jacobean social history. It will interest anyone looking to learn something new about the dramatist and the times in which he lived. A supplementary website offers imagined first-person audio accounts from the featured subjects.
Full Product Details
Author: Paul Edmondson ,
Stanley Wells
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.30cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 22.80cm
Weight: 0.590kg
ISBN: 9781107699090
ISBN 10: 1107699096
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 22 October 2015
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
'Wonderfully conceived and executed, and drawing on the expertise of some of the finest literary historians at work today, The Shakespeare Circle offers a richly rewarding alternative to the 'cradle to grave' biography, allowing us to see Shakespeare afresh through the lives of his friends, relatives, neighbours, fellow actors and rivals.' James Shapiro, Columbia University, New York 'Anyone who reads these collected biographical essays and sketches will come to know Shakespeare himself better.' Dame Margaret Drabble, from the Afterword 'Full of fresh and fascinating detail, The Shakespeare Circle zooms out for the long view, linking the life of the playwright to the many different lives that surrounded him. A completely new way of understanding Shakespearian biography.' Andrew Dickson, author of Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare's Globe 'Stanley Wells [is the] doyen of Shakespeare studies ... As the novelist Margaret Drabble observes in her afterword, we should not be surprised that Shakespeare's life still yields surprises - but invariably we are.' Jerry Bruton, Financial Times '... a remarkable collection ...' Charles Nicholl, London Review of Books
'Wonderfully conceived and executed, and drawing on the expertise of some of the finest literary historians at work today, The Shakespeare Circle offers a richly rewarding alternative to the 'cradle to grave' biography, allowing us to see Shakespeare afresh through the lives of his friends, relatives, neighbours, fellow actors and rivals.' James Shapiro, Columbia University, New York 'Anyone who reads these collected biographical essays and sketches will come to know Shakespeare himself better.' Dame Margaret Drabble, from the Afterword 'Full of fresh and fascinating detail, The Shakespeare Circle zooms out for the long view, linking the life of the playwright to the many different lives that surrounded him. A completely new way of understanding Shakespearian biography.' Andrew Dickson, author of Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare's Globe
Advance praise: 'Wonderfully conceived and executed, and drawing on the expertise of some of the finest literary historians at work today, The Shakespeare Circle offers a richly rewarding alternative to the 'cradle to grave' biography, allowing us to see Shakespeare afresh through the lives of his friends, relatives, neighbours, fellow actors and rivals.' James Shapiro, Columbia University, New York 'Anyone who reads these collected biographical essays and sketches will come to know Shakespeare himself better.' Dame Margaret Drabble, from the Afterword
Author Information
Paul Edmondson is Head of Research at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. He has authored and co-edited numerous articles and books on Shakespeare, including Shakespeare's Sonnets (with Stanley Wells, 2004), The Shakespeare Handbooks: Twelfth Night (2005) and Shakespeare: Ideas in Profile (2015). Stanley Wells, CBE, FRSL, is Honorary President at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. His many books include Shakespeare: For All Time (2002), Looking for Sex in Shakespeare (2004), Shakespeare & Co. (2006), Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (2010) and Great Shakespeare Actors (2015). He edited Shakespeare Survey for almost twenty years, and is co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage (with Sarah Stanton, Cambridge, 2002) and The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare (with Margreta de Grazia, Cambridge, 2010). He is also the General Editor of the Oxford and Penguin editions of Shakespeare.
