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| Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Greenblatt
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $2.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 25149
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 039332737X
Dewey Decimal Number: 822.33
EAN: 9780393327373
ASIN: 039332737X
Publication Date: September 19, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"So engrossing, clearheaded, and lucid that its arrival is not just welcome but cause for celebration."—Dan Cryer, Newsday
Stephen Greenblatt, the charismatic Harvard professor who "knows more about Shakespeare than Ben Jonson or the Dark Lady did" (John Leonard, Harper's), has written a biography that enables us to see, hear, and feel how an acutely sensitive and talented boy, surrounded by the rich tapestry of Elizabethan life—full of drama and pageantry, and also cruelty and danger—could have become the world's greatest playwright.
Bringing together little-known historical facts and little-noticed elements of Shakespeare's plays, Greenblatt makes inspired connections between the life and the works and delivers "a dazzling and subtle biography" (Richard Lacayo, Time). Readers will experience Shakespeare's vital plays again as if for the first time, but with greater understanding and appreciation of their extraordinary depth and humanity.
A best book of the year: The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2004 • Time magazine's #1 Best Nonfiction Book • A Washington Post Book World Rave • An Economist Best Book • A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book • A Christian Science Monitor Best Book • A Chicago Tribune Best Book • A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Best Book • NPR's Maureen Corrigan's Best
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 A Perfect Joy September 16, 2005
35 out of 45 found this review helpful
Stephen Greenblatt has written one of the best books on William Shakespeare to come out in awhile (and it is truly a cottage industry). Will in the World is a book to be savoured slowly but when that proves impossible, it is best then to simply devour with delight. The author is best at setting a context for the both the man and his works. A great example among many is his examination of the tension between Prostentants and secret (sometimes less than secret) Catholics which is brilliant without getting bogged down in conspiracy theories stranger than the actual conspiracies around. Greenblatt realizes that Shakespeare and his time are interesting enough in the telling. Even simple domestic life becomes intriguing and charming in this wide-ranging book. This a history and a biography that will be treasured by readers for a long while to come.
 To Swoon or Not to Swoon April 26, 2006
29 out of 40 found this review helpful
This book has been getting all kinds of award nominations and praise from Shakespeare buffs, but if you're a little less worshipful of Will and are merely an interested bystander, there's not much here to get excited about. Greenblatt is surely an accomplished Shakespeare scholar and he knows the Bard's plays like the back of his hand. But Greenblatt's purpose here is to find how Will's works were directly influenced by events from his life, and as several other reviewers have noted, so few biographical details on Shakespeare's life are clearly known that this exercise is almost completely conjectural. Granted, Greenblatt has uncovered many very interesting details about life in Elizabethan England during Shakespeare's time, and there is a strong likelihood that Will had the same experiences. But in most of this book Greenblatt conjectures on what Shakespeare must have, may have, could have, would have, and should have done or thought. Hence, the attempt at a narrative biography rests on very shaky foundations.
In addition to that structural problem, there's another issue with the readability of this book, if you're the type that's interested in the subject matter but not a googly-eyed Shakespeare groupie. Greenblatt's sheer fanatical worship of Shakespeare can really try the reader's patience, with Will being slavishly raised to the level of godhood continuously. Here's a telling view of Shakespeare from Greenblatt's introduction – "the work is so astonishing, so luminous, that it seems to have come from a God and not a mortal." Sheesh, we haven't seen such unabashed tongue-lolling swoonage over a celebrity since Beatlemania. Throughout the book, Greenblatt is continually amazed that Shakespeare used (conjectured) influences from his real life in his works. Well here's some news for Greenblatt – every writer who ever wrote anything has done this, at least in fiction. Greenblatt's basic strategy is to follow guesses about Shakespeare's life and times with token passages from Will's works that may reflect those life events, both to show off his own vast knowledge of the plays and to unload relentless starry-eyed worship of Shakespeare and his godlike immortal brilliance. This continues ad nauseam for 400 pages, and the book becomes more of a list than a biography, conjectural or not. Worshippers, groupies, and fanatics need only apply. And by the way, who is that moviestar-looking male model on the cover? [~doomsdayer520~]
 An airy nothingness November 13, 2005
20 out of 30 found this review helpful
Greenblatt begins the book with the words, "Let us imagine . . ." He then attempts to fabricate a biography of a great writer based on a historical record that leaves doubt about how the writer could have gained the vast knowledge reflected in his plays. Greenblatt hypothesizes event after event that "might" have happened even though there is absolutely no evidence that it did -- for example, imagining young Shakespeare encountering the Jesuit Edmund Campion. Is this the best Shakespearean scholarship can do? An unconvincing attempt to imagine a biography where there isn't one. Should be listed on the "fiction" lists. Emerson said he couldn't "marry" Shakespeare's life to his works. Greenblatt tries, but fails, to do so.
Not the best study of Shakespeare October 24, 2005
15 out of 27 found this review helpful
In this book Greenblatt takes us on a journey through William Shakespeare's life in order to find out exactly who the author was as a person. After all, Shakespeare is the most widely-read author in the English language. Greenblatt focuses mostly on Shakespeare's early life in Stratford, and his successes as a playwright in London. Although the author is a scholar, this book seems to have been written for a more popular audience.
What I thought was interesting, however, was the fact that Greenblatt talked about Shakespeare's relationship with the "university wits"- that is, a group of heavy-drinking poets who had attended university and were about the same age as Will. The group included Thomas Watson (who gambled away his wife's dowry), Christopher Marlowe, and others. Shakespeare never really felt comfortable with group, primarily because Marlowe was his chief rival, and also because Will had never attended university.
Its a well-written book, but there's no real substance to it. Shakespeare doesn't "come to life" as I thought he would. Most of the information Greenblatt tells us is common knowledge, and he speculates a lot over tiny little details. Greenblatt tells us that Shakespeare borrowed a lot of stories from his personal life and from other authors- even contemporary ones. Apparently, Shakespeare wasn't above plagiarism. I was disappointed in this book because Greenblatt focused more on the inspiration for the tragedies. I would have enjoyed the book more if he had written more on the comedies or histories- or even the sonnets, which hardly get a mention here. I thought this book was incomplete, and there was a lot Greenblatt could have done to make it better.
One of the Best Books I Have Read November 27, 2005
13 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is one of the better and more interesting books in the whole non-fiction market - not just on Shakespeare.
The book manages to be both an easy read for average readers plus appeals to Shakespeare experts. It is not necessary to read Shakespeare's plays to understand the present book - although the book motivates one in the direction of seeing them again or for the for the first time - but few books combine the present level of insight with the easy to read popular writing style as found here.
I have read a few other popular biographies on Shakespeare including the popular biography by Anthony Burgess, Shakespeare, written in 1970 and the 2003 book by Frank Kermode The Age of Shakespeare. These are aimed at average readers and they are both relatively easy to read and both give some insights into the man and his times. The latter book is similar in goals to the present book but it is much shorter and has a more awkward writing style than the present book.
The present book is far above these two earlier popular books, both in detail, information, insights, and ease of reading. Also, the bibliography at the rear that must contain at least 200 other references. The bibliography is in a "notes" format, it is about 16 pages long, and includes many comments and opinions by the author.
The outstanding feature of the present book is that it is very rich in detail and the author is able to interpret many things in Shakespeare's personal life by working backwards from phrases, characters, religious references, school references, alcohol, etc found in his plays and other writings. Following a rough chronological sequence, the author makes the link to Shakespeare's off stage life, including his father, his childhood, religion, later his children, business, marriage, etc.
Many readers will appreciate the book for all its detail. It has a lot of detail and photographs in the almost 400 pages. But the book is a lot more than just detail. It interprets the plays and gives meaning and interpretation to the passages and presents us with ideas on how Shakespeare decided to write a certain passage or why a certain character is in the play, or why they have a certain demeanor, or phrase, or word, or line and why the actor is dressed a certain way or acts in a certain fashion, and how they are connected to external events.
For example, and this must be just one of at least one hundred or two hundred comments and connections, the author explains that lurking in Shakespeare's subconscious are likely many thoughts on his father, the former mayor and powerful Stratford figure who later in life becomes a failure eventually succumbs to financial pressures and must sell off his wife's family farm properties to stay solvent, or simply to make end meets, or to buy alcohol. The following is one of many connections to those thoughts of his father, and his failings as a person. This is typical of Greenblatt's writing and style in the book.
After the author explains the connection he quotes (sometimes two or three different plays - but here one for example):
"God save thee, my sweet boy" says the father figure Falstaff to the young Hal
Hal replies:
"Fall to thy prayers.
How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!
I have long dreamt of such a kind of man,
So surfeit-swelled, so old, and so profane;
But being awake, I do despise my dream.
(2 Henry IV, 5.5.41, 45-49).
For myself that is a clear explanation that almost anyone can understand, and it is typical of the clarity found in the book. This type of example is repeated over and over again and make up the theme of the book, that is, a series of connections and discussions and comments linking Shakespeares creative writing to the possible sources of inspiration in his background and family.
The book has received a number of outstanding book reviews from Shakespeare experts, artistic directors, professional book reviewers, etc. When you read the book you will understand the attraction of the book. It is easy to read, very easy to read, surprisingly easy to read, but it is also a complicated and well thought book that will delight a broad cross section of readers each with different levels of knowledge about the plays, the man, and his times.
5 stars
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