| A Year in the life of William Shakespeare, 1599, by James Shapiro, ISBN 0-7394-6530-9. |
Literary History |
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| If you are interested in Elizabethan England or Shakespeare this book is a must read. That was the time when plays were both plays and literature. There were no novels, as yet, and the idea or marrying for love was a new and novel idea. If you have been watching the series The Tudors on SHOWTIME, then you will particularly enjoy this book.
Shakespeare’s plays reflected on the political, economic and religious situations of his time and still speak to us today. This superb book ties together Shakespeare’s writing, and the current events of the time. If England had not developed this way then it is doubtful if democracy, freedom of and from religion and free speech would ever have come to pass. In those days, a miswritten phrase could mean either the play was banned or worse the writer might become a guest of the Crown in the tower of London. And remember, there was no central heating.
Shakespeare’s plays still shape how we see and make sense of our world. Even if you have never seen a Shakespearean play you will find the book eminently readable and worth your time.
The TV Series THE TUDORS.
http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do |
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