Shakespeare: The Biography By Peter Ackroyd
Signed by Author Peter Ackroyd on Title page.
Shakespeare: The Biography By Peter Ackroyd
Hardcover
ISBN 1856197263
Publisher: Chatto & Windus 2005
Used – Near Fine. This book is in mint condition. The Dust Jacket has some very limited signs of wear and the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. The book is protected with a Cellophane cover.
This is the big one from Peter Ackroyd and a worthy companion to London: The Biography.
Only Peter Ackroyd can combine readable narrative and unique observation with a sharp eye for the fascinating fact. His method is to position Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, he not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background.
Some snippets: Shakespeare was secretly a Roman Catholic; the witches in Macbeth were not hags but nymphs played by boys; the best bed was for guests which was why he bequeathed his wife his second best bed (the matrimonial bed in which he probably died); ham acting derives from the strutting walk which showed off the ham-strings; an actor called Will played female parts could it have been Shakespeare himself? And, the strongest bond in the plays is between father and daughter, perhaps reflecting Shakespeare's own family life.
