by Dennis Kay
(Morrow, New York 1992)
his is an excellent work which puts Shakespeare in context, both as a man and as an author. Along with the meticulous but interesting biography there are sections on English theater before the Shakespeare era, the type of education available to a countryman at the time, and the social circle in which Shakespeare found himself. Along the way, there is plenty of information to refute anyone who claims that Marlowe or Bacon wrote Shakespeare. This is a very good and informative read, and you may find yourself watching the plays with a new sense of enjoyment.