The Shakespeare Circle
An Alternative Biography

This collection tells the life stories of the people whom we know Shakespeare encountered, shedding new light on Shakespeare's life and times.

Paul Edmondson (Edited by), Stanley Wells (Edited by)

9781107699090, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 October 2015

368 pages, 5 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.3 x 2 cm, 0.59 kg

'For readers in search of Shakespeare, this collection holds out the promise of discovery, anticipating more evidence of collaboration, heralding fresh findings which may be gleaned from the ongoing archeologic dig at New Place, and issuing a call for scholars to pursue Shakespeare's missing papers, which might be discovered in the possession of descendants of the Barnard family. Its essays are distinguished by their thought-provoking research and fertile re-examination of the documentary record, creating intersections that generate fresh perspectives and invite the reader to imagine new narratives.' The Shakespeare Newsletter

This original and enlightening book casts fresh light on Shakespeare by examining the lives of his relatives, friends, fellow-actors, collaborators and patrons both in their own right and in relation to his life. Well-known figures such as Richard Burbage, Ben Jonson and Thomas Middleton are freshly considered; little-known but relevant lives are brought to the fore, and revisionist views are expressed on such matters as Shakespeare's wealth, his family and personal relationships, and his social status. Written by a distinguished team, including some of the foremost biographers, writers and Shakespeare scholars of today, this enthralling volume forms an original contribution to Shakespearian biography and Elizabethan and Jacobean social history. It will interest anyone looking to learn something new about the dramatist and the times in which he lived. A supplementary website offers imagined first-person audio accounts from the featured subjects.

General introduction Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells
Part I. Family: 1. His mother Mary Shakespeare Michael Wood
2. His father John Shakespeare David Fallow
3. His siblings Catherine Richardson
4. His sister's family: the Harts Cathy Shrank
5. His wife Anne Shakespeare and the Hathaways Katherine Scheil
6. His daughter Susanna Hall Lachlan Mackinnon
7. His son-in-law John Hall Greg Wells
8. His son Hamnet Shakespeare Graham Holderness
9. His daughter Judith and the Quineys Germaine Greer
10. His granddaughter Lady Elizabeth Barnard René Weis
11. His 'cousin': Thomas Greene Tara Hamling
Part II. Friends and Neighbours: 12. A close family connection: the Combes Stanley Wells
13. Schoolfriend, publisher and printer Richard Field Carol Chillington Rutter
14. Living with the Mountjoys David Kathman
15. Ben Jonson David Riggs
16. Richard Barnfield, John Weever, William Basse and other encomiasts Andrew Hadfield
17. Last things: Shakespeare's neighbours and beneficiaries Susan Brock
Part III. Colleagues and Patrons: 18. His fellow dramatists and early collaborators Andy Kesson
19. His theatre friends: the Burbages John H. Astington
20. His fellow actors Will Kemp, Robert Armin and other members of the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men Bart Van Es
21. His literary patrons Alan H. Nelson
22. His collaborator George Wilkins Duncan Salkeld
23. His collaborator Thomas Middleton Emma Smith
24. His collaborator John Fletcher Lucy Munro
25. His editors John Heminges and Henry Condell Paul Edmondson
Closing remarks Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells
Afterword Margaret Drabble
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literary studies: poetry & poets [DSC], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literary theory [DSA], Literature: history & criticism [DS]