The Shakespearean World takes a global view of Shakespeare and his works, especially their afterlives. Constantly changing, the Shakespeare central to this volume has acquired an array of meanings over the past four centuries. "Shakespeare" signifies the historical person, as well as the plays and verse attributed to him. It also signifies the attitudes towards both author and works determined by their receptions. Throughout the book, specialists aim to situate Shakespeare’s world and what the world is because of him. In adopting a global perspective, the volume arranges thirty-six chapters in five parts: Shakespeare on stage internationally since the late seventeenth century; Shakespeare on film throughout the world; Shakespeare in the arts beyond drama and performance; Shakespeare in everyday life; Shakespeare and critical practice. Through its coverage, The Shakespearean World offers a comprehensive transhistorical and international view of the ways this Shakespeare has not only influenced but has also been influenced by diverse cultures during 400 years of performance, adaptation, criticism, and citation. While each chapter is a freshly conceived introduction to a significant topic, all of the chapters move beyond the level of survey, suggesting new directions in Shakespeare studies – such as ecology, tourism, and new media – and making substantial contributions to the field. This volume is an essential resource for all those studying Shakespeare, from beginners to advanced specialists.

OXFORD SHAKESPEARE TOPICS General Editors: Peter Holland and Stanley Wells Oxford Shakespeare Topics provide students and teachers with short books on important aspects of Shakespeare criticism and scholarship. Each book is written by an authority in its field, and combines accessible style with original discussion of its subject. Shakespeare and Biography is not a new biography of Shakespeare. Instead, it is a study of what biographers have said about Shakespeare, from the first formal biography in the early 18th century by Nicholas Rowe to Stephen Greenblatt, James Shapiro, Jonathan Bate, Germaine Greer, Katherine Duncan-Jones, Park Honan, René Weis, and others who have written recent biographical accounts of England's greatest writer. The emphasis is on what sort of issues these biographers have found especially interesting in relation to sex and gender, politics, religion, pessimism, misanthropy, jealousy, aging, family relationships, the end of a career, the end of life. How has Shakespeare's contemplation of these issues changed and grown, and in what ways do those changes reflect new cultural developments in our world as it continues to reinterpret Shakespeare?

Taking seriously the commonplace that a man is known by the company he keeps—and particularly by the company he keeps over his lifetime—one can learn more about just about anyone by learning more about his friends. By applying this notion to Shakespeare, this book offers insight into the life of the most famous playwright in history, and one of the most elusive figures in literature. The book consists of sketches of Shakespeare's contact and relationships with the people known to have been close friends or acquaintances, revealing aspects of the poet's life by emphasizing ways in which his life was intertwined with theirs. Though it is difficult to get to know this most famous of playwrights, through this work readers can gain insight into aspects of his life and personality that may otherwise have been hidden. Shakespeare, more than any other writer in the western world, based much of his work on the consequences of friendship. Given the value placed on friends in his writing, many readers have wondered about the role friendship played in his own life. This work gives readers the chance to learn more about Shakespeare's friends, who they were and what they can tell us about Shakespeare and his times. For instance, Richard Field was a boyhood friend with whom Shakespeare went to school in Stratford. Field became a well-known London printer. The details of Field's life illuminate both the details of Shakespeare's boyhood education and the poet's relationship with the printing, publishing, and book-selling world in London. Francis Collins, a lawyer who represented Shakespeare in a number of legal dealings, drafted both versions of Shakespeare's will. This life-long friend was one of the last men eve to see Shakespeare pick up a pen to write. Through these vivid and animated sketches, readers will come to know about Shakespeare's life and times. While the book has a lively, accessible narrative tone within chapters, its organization and features make it highly useful to the school library market as well as the academic world. It contains cross references, a detailed Table of Contents and a highly organized structure with uniformity across sections and chapters. The writing is accessible and could be easily used by upper-level high school students looking to augment school assignments.

William Shakespeare's 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' is a comprehensive collection of his plays, sonnets, and poems, showcasing his unparalleled talent in the English language. With a combination of comedies, tragedies, and histories, Shakespeare's works explore themes of love, power, jealousy, and ambition. His use of blank verse and iambic pentameter revolutionized Elizabethan literature, influencing generations of writers and playwrights. This collection provides readers with a window into the cultural and political landscape of Shakespeare's time, immersing them in the beauty and complexity of his words. William Shakespeare, often regarded as the greatest playwright in English literature, drew inspiration from classical sources, mythology, and historical events. His deep understanding of human nature and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience set him apart as a literary giant. 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' reflects his enduring legacy and serves as a testament to his enduring influence on the world of literature. I highly recommend 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' to any reader interested in delving into the genius of one of history's most prolific writers. This collection offers a diverse range of plays and poems that continue to captivate audiences and scholars alike, making it a must-read for anyone looking to explore the depth and breadth of Shakespeare's literary prowess.

Shakespeare's Education brings to life the educational experiences of boys in 16th century England. Monarchs from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I established hundreds of schools, and formulated a curriculum based on Latin, the reading of classical literature, and the performance of recitations and plays. This system educated Shakespeare and his contemporaries Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and thousands more. It became the matrix for one of the world's great periods in theatre history. More important, it helps us understand the writing of Shakespeare, the greatest playwright the world has seen. "Kate Pogue's book moves not at a snail's pace but jogs on merrily to an appreciation for how Shakespeare transformed his lessons into art."M Peter Greenfield Professor emeritus, University of Puget Sound Editor, Research Opportunities in Medieval and Renaissance Drama "Kate Pogue's engaging account of education at local grammar schools reminds us that it was more than sufficient to equip the brightest students for a literary career. " Robert Bearman formerly Head of Archives at the SBT "Shakespeare's education is a topic to which Kate Pogue brings the vivid insight of both the academic and the theatrical practitioner." John Taplin Author, Shakespeare's Country Families

Examines representations of Anne Hathaway from the eighteenth century to contemporary portrayals in theatre, biographies and novels.

Before William Shakespeare wrote world-famous plays on the themes of power and political turmoil, the Shakespeare family of Stratford-upon-Avon and their neighbors and friends were plagued by false accusations and feuds with the government — conflicts that shaped Shakespeare's sceptical understanding of the realities of power. This ground-breaking study of the world of the young William Shakespeare in Stratford and Warwickshire discusses many recent archival discoveries to consider three linked families, the Shakespeares, the Dudleys, and the Ardens, and their battles over regional power and government corruption. Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, and Ambrose Dudley, earl of Warwick, used politics, the law, history, and lineage to establish their authority in Warwickshire and Stratford, challenging political and social structures and collective memory in the region. The resistance of Edward Arden — often claimed as kin to Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother — and his friends and family culminated in his execution on false treason charges in 1583. By then the Shakespeare family also had direct experience with the London government's power: in 1569, Exchequer informers, backed by influential politicians at Court, accused John Shakespeare, William's father, of illegal wool- dealing and usury. Despite previous claims that John had resolved these charges by 1572, the book's new sources show the Exchequer's continuing demands forced his withdrawal from Stratford politics by 1577, and undermined his business career in the early 1580s, when young William first gained an understanding of his father's troubles. At the same time, Edward Arden's condemnation by the Elizabethan regime proved problematic for the Shakespeares' friends and neighbours, the Quineys, who were accused of maintaining financial connections to the traitorous Ardens — though Stratford people were convinced of their innocence. This complicated community directly impacted Shakespeare's own perspective on local and national politics and social structures, connecting his early experiences in Stratford and Warwickshire with many of the themes later found in his plays.