William Shakespeare: A Literary Life (Macmillan Literary Lives) - Softcover

This is an account of Shakespeare's career as a professional dramatist, comparing him with Ben Jonson in order to isolate qualities unique to Shakespeare's achievement, and offer new perspectives and basis for an informed historical reading of his works. Although the author follows the contours of his life, he does not intend the work to be a conventional biography of his life and family, but examines the main strands of his work in a variety of contexts and recognizes that many questions relating to Shakespeare and his background remain intensely controversial.