Book description
Think you know Shakespeare? Think again . . .
Was a real skull used in the first performance of Hamlet? Were
Shakespeare's plays Elizabethan blockbusters? How much do we really
know about the playwright's life? And what of his notorious
relationship with his wife? Exploring and exploding 30 popular myths
about the great playwright, this illuminating new book evaluates all
the evidence to show how historical material-or its absence-can be
interpreted and misinterpreted, and what this reveals about our own
personal investment in the stories we tell.
Laurie Maguire is Professor of English at the University of
Oxford, tutorial fellow at Magdalen College, and the author or editor
of seven books. She is a regular theater reviewer for the TLS
and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA.
Emma Smith is tutorial fellow at Hertford College, Oxford. She
is the author or editor of six books, a regular reviewer for the
TLS, and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA.
The authors have previously collaborated together on articles on
Middleton and Shakespeare and on graduate courses at the University of Oxford.
