3 Review(s)

James Shapiro takes on the "romantic myth" of Shakespeare's timelessness and universality, and through a scholarly and entertaining deep look into one year of Shakespeare's life, gives the reader a wonderfully rich reading of what made up the time, the man, and the work. Shapiro's understanding of the period is immense and passionate, and he opens up the methods and influences behind some of Shakespeare's greatest plays. It's a highly readable narrative; every page contains insights and interpretations that will change any conventional reading of Shakespeare. This is that too-rare kind of scholarship that is a delight to read, genuinely serious and fun. As Shapiro makes clear, Shakespeare was very much a man of his time and place. And what we make of Hamlet now is not what Elizabethan audiences made of him. Hamlet's cultural significance has completely shifted. This great character expresses the change that was taking place in 1599, in Britain and in Shakespeare's mind, away from a chivalric code of honor and toward a society and people motivated by more modern concerns. Shapiro is a true master at interpreting this historical and cultural moment in a way that can only deepen and enlarge any Shakespeare reader's enjoyment of the plays.