A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by james shapiro

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

A fascinating story of history-shaping-art-shaping-history for the Shakespeare nerd and novice alike. Against the backdrop of a profoundly uncertain moment in political/religious/cultural history, I found particularly poignant the reflections on the centrality of communal storytelling and ritual in human life. I also enjoyed the glimpses of Shakespeare as an artist - one who balanced stretches of high-octane/high-output play-writing with private, restorative seasons of poetry-writing.

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moohgi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Excellent insight into the year of Hamlet, etc. Although much of the detail of Shakespeare's life is necessarily speculation, he is brilliant at extrapolating a picture of the playwright from known fact.

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PirateHasan

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

This book delves into hemispheres: the royal world and the plays of Shakespeare. Essex and his downfall are discussed. Nothing new there
What was interesting, and could be a help to those who may write a research paper, is the analysis of the plays. Synopses are given along with character profiles and plot evaluations. I wish I had had this book about 20 years ago!

2017 Lenten Buddy Reading Challenge book #14

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Harontiar

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

don't read much non fiction, but this one caught my eye in the library (after a recommendation from F R Jameson). As some of you know I take a keen interest in local writers (eg I've recently read Anthony Cartwright's 'Heartland' set in Dudley, Mez Packer's 'Among Thieves' set in Coventry and Raphael Selbourne's 'Beauty' set in Wolverhampton). Well here is a local lad who did quite well for himself - Shakespeare. I live less than twenty miles from Stratford and am often hanging about the same haunts as young and old William - in the pub where he supposedly got so drunk he fell asleep under a tree outside; the river he walked along we do too (my wife and I) and reckon it can't have changed that much, apart from the pylons and stuff; the church where his parents got married etc etc. So I'm looking forward to reading this year-in-the-life.

...was great, Shapiro really convinces in his theory that Shakespeare was deeply influenced by what was happening around him, and how this is often overlooked because his writing 'transcends time'. The literary analysis held me spellbound: he looks closely at how Shakespeare revised his manuscripts and it's utterly fascinating to see this... greatness in action. I will give an example or two and more about the historical context later I hope (v. busy at the moment, editing my book - I've always wanted to say that!)...

I did get fiction withdrawal though and had to sneak in a couple of short stories over the period of reading this.

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DrabGargoyle

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Often entertaining and sometimes illuminating, this book is an imaginative attempt to ground Shakespeare's works in his times. It will be of special interest to readers who are equally drawn to the history of Elizabethan England and Shakespeare's work, as the purely historical exposition constitutes a large part of the book. Surveys works written in and around 1599, which Shapiro identifies as Henry V, Julius Cesar, As You Like It, and Hamlet. I liked some of his closest readings best, and particularly found his reading of As You Like It insightful. I was somewhat disappointed with his reading of Hamlet - he went to some length to set up the context for reading it as about the transition from the old age of chivalry to the new age of modernity, but ended up focusing on revisions Shakespeare made to the play, which was less compelling.

Taken with a grain of salt, it's a worthwhile read.

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abalizard

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

This is an interesting look at a single year in the life of William Shakespeare and the political and social events which were happening at the time. In 1599 Shakespeare was thirty five and, that year, would write four plays - Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and Hamlet. Not a bad year's work you would think, but Shapiro is full of insight about the plays and the events which inspired, or shaped them.

During this year, there would be an Irish rebellion, the threat of invasion from Spain and the fledgling East India Company, as well as events of Court. The country had one eye on an ageing monarch and the obvious concerns about who would take power when she died without a names successor, while another scanned the horizon, searching for an armada which they feared would come into sight. Alongside these events, Shakespeare was involved in literally dismantling a playhouse and resurrecting it as the Globe. An enjoyable and in depth look at a pivotal year in Shakespeare's life and of his wish to change theatre.

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Dakuren

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

I do not think there is a more knowledgeable and competent authority on the topic of William Shakespeare and the impact of the playwright's world on his work. When I finished reading "The Year of Lear", which Shapiro penned after this book, I knew I had to read this one. Everything I said in my review of that book applies to this one, and then some. Shapiro takes a topic which many people would avoid because of its complexity, and makes it completely accessible to the novice. Rather than presenting Shakespeare and his times as intimidating, Shapiro lays out an intriguing and fascinating description of how Shakespeare's world impacted his work. For example, 1599 was a year that saw many attempts on the life of Elizabeth I, and the times in general were rife with assassination attempts on monarchs. As a result, we see how Shakespeare brings that front and center by having Brutus agonize over taking part in Caesar's murder. Not only does the author make this subject interesting, but he actually presents it in such a way that the book reads more like a novel than an impeccably researched work of historical non-fiction.

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Beastman_

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Part history, part textual examination and part biography; ‘1599’ does an excellent job of putting Shakespeare’s work – and the man himself – into context. It was a momentous year for The Bard, he wrote ‘Henry V’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘As You Like It’ and started on ‘Hamlet’. But it was also a tumultuous year for England, with an aged queen, over-ambitious lords and the threat of invasion (and indeed insurrection) hanging in the air. Shapiro takes on the task of showing how the events of the world affected the plays of the author.

A flaw (which the book acknowledges) is that we actually know little about the playwright, and so there’s a fair degree of speculation. That said there are no wild imaginings into the internal life of William Shakespeare, and even when the words ‘probably’ and ‘possibly’ are used, readers will most likely find themselves nodding in agreement. The tale of Elizabeth and Essex unfolds concurrently and, with a stronger historical footing, is vigorously narrated. I enjoyed both those sections of the book immensely. It was only the third strand that slightly disappointed, in that unless you have got a good textual knowledge of the plays in question, their discussion can feel a little dry.

As such I’ve given the book four stars, though if you had Shakespeare’s 1599 plays to hand while reading it, I imagine it’d be easy to give five out of five.

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A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599

james shapiro

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