First published 2023
Stanley Wells examines the enigmatic figure of William Shakespeare through centuries of scholarship and fresh analysis. The renowned Shakespeare authority tackles fundamental questions about the playwright's inner life. How did Shakespeare think and feel as he created his works? What drove his creative process? How did he form relationships with those around him? Wells investigates Shakespeare's beliefs about mortality, his sense of humor, and his approach to writing. The book addresses long-standing mysteries about Shakespeare's personal relationships and working methods. Wells draws on decades of research to reconstruct the human being behind the legendary works. He presents Shakespeare not as a distant literary figure but as a complex individual navigating the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. The study offers readers a portrait of Shakespeare's personality and daily existence, revealing the man who created some of literature's most enduring characters and stories.
Genres: biography, history, literary-criticism, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study
Period: Elizabethan, Jacobean
130 pages · Hardcover · Cambridge University Press