Shakespeare: The Biography (2005)

My heart always sings when I pick up a Peter Ackroyd biography. I expect that I shall read an interesting account of the person, but one that does not push any particular bias. I have yet to be disappointed and, certainly, this biography of William Shakespeare never looked likely to buck the trend. Mr Ackroyd respects Shakespeare's position at the pinnacle of British writers without glossing over the deficiencies that any human must possess.

The information concerning the life of Shakespeare is not sufficient to produce a definite story from the cradle to the grave so, Peter Ackroyd gives us what definite knowledge exists and adds the gossip and rumour that surrounds the man. What I particularly like, is that the fact and surmise are clearly separated. He sets out the basis for any unsubstantiated details, gives any supporting evidence and leaves the reader to decide how much credence to give to it.

When one is writing about someone who lived in a very different age to our own, it is important that the historical background is set. This book does this in an admirable fashion; the reader is not lectured, but the detail is all there. One other point which is vital when discussing an earlier age, is to see it through the eyes of the moral standards of the time. Ackroyd, by standing aloft from his subject, reports, without any judgement.

The greatest compliment that one can give to any biography is that it sends the reader scurrying to re-read the poems and re-watch the plays of William Shakespeare. I recently read a fictional biography of the Bard and, at the end, felt dis-satisfied and not drawn to re-engage with Mr Shakespeare's work: with this book, I was re-watching the plays before completing the book. Not only does this work bring the man to life, it adds a new facet to the plays and sonnets.

I would imagine that this biography has enough detail to be worth the time for a Shakespeare expert to read,: without question,it is written in such a way that someone, such as myself, with only the most basic schoolboy awareness of the man and his works can read, enjoy and learn. Thank you, Mr. Ackroyd, for bringing William Shakespeare to life for one ignorant reader. ( )

Written less as a dry scholarly work (which have their place) but more like a story, this biography of a most elusive man is well worth reading. William Shakespeare is elusive in the sense that so little detail is known of his life biographers have been reduced to sifting through thousands of mundane sources (with nearly as many spelling variations for this name) to piece together a life history. The author here sometimes indulges in reading more into the plays than the playwright possibly meant, but not a lot and it's not like we know any better. A nice touch were the quoted lines at the head of each chapter, though I would have loved to have known which plays they are from exactly. ( )

Here we have Shakespeare nearly 450 years old. Here we have an exhaustive biography so well researched we not only gain a better sense of who Shakespeare was but also what made him what he was. This is no small feat. Akroyd is able to take every facet of his subject expose it to the various conjectures and apply his knowledge and keen insight so that it shines anew in perfect radiance. As Shakespeare's biographer, he lays out the roads before us and nudges us in the direction that makes the most sense.

He does this by placing us in Shakespeare's surroundings of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. We smell the horse manure from the streets of Shakespeare's life and witness the people walking through it.

He does this by showing us how the events in Shakespeare's time influenced his writing: the lean to the old religion verse Protestant reform, the forge of the Elizabethan Theater Age with all the competing playhouses and players, the rise and fall of John Shakespeare, the death of Hamnet.

Shakespeare was multi-faceted. He was a practical and pragmatic man who wrote in a spirit of rapid fluidity garnering remarkable insight into the human soul. A rustic turned playwright. Someone as familiar with the breeze of cows as the fury of sexual jealousy. ( )

Peter Ackroyd is the biographer of London(!?) as well as of Shakespeare and he does give a very good sense of place. It is an interesting read and very professionally done but somehow you are left not feeling totally convinced. Anyway an enjoyable and accessible introduction to Shakespeare the man. ( )

Ackroyd is almost lawyer-like in his reasoning that supports his assumptions about the plays and the life. It will inform my understanding of the Bard from now on. A key point for the author is the Bard's Catholicism, which had an effect on all his writing. Also, Ackroyd skillfully debunks the Oxfordians and others. I like how he explains to readers that it's OK to recognize and appreciate Shakespeare's Genius with a capital G. He was a freak - everything in his life contributed to who he became, but it was that mysterious spark we all wish we had that led to his body of work. He was who he was and who he was was better than anybody else ever. Get over it, Justice John Paul Stevens. ( )