What Was Shakespeare Really Like?, by Stanley Wells, Stephen Fry (Foreword)

 

Publication Sept. 14, 2023

Lettice Shakespeare (sister of William Shakespeare)
11th Great-Grandmother

Those were the words that jumped out at me recently while reviewing my family's family tree. It isn't that I didn't know this link already but it reminded me that I had this book in my TBR stack, albeit way down the list given it's publication day isn't for some time. Nevertheless, I decided, "Why not?" and bumped it right to the top of my list. I'm glad I did.

Author Stanley Wells, who I discovered should probably be referred to as Sir Stanley Wells, prepared these lecture notes just as covid restrictions went into place. The plan was to deliver them in person at the headquarters of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. That obviously couldn't happen so he ultimately presented them online. This is the slightly edited/updated print version of those video lectures which are currently available online. You may best know Stephen Fry, who does the foreword, as half of the comedy duo of Fry and Laurie, where he partners with Hugh Laurie, although he has a host of other credits including, cough-cough, performing on stage in works of Shakespeare. Check out that photo of him as Malvolio. Anyway, enough about them. On to the real star of the story, William Shakespeare. If you're reading this, you've obviously heard of him.

Seriously, this was a fascinating look at Shakespeare the man. I liked that Wells kept it simple, relying on fact, not wild hunches. Is he in agreement with other experts? No. Not always. Heck, Even the late Prince Phillip didn't agree with him. Ancestor or not, I'm no Shakespeare expert, so I generally had no true opinion on anything. Oh, okay, I had no clue about much of the info shared. Wells uses source material and the words of not just other experts but those of contemporaries of Shakespeare as well as Shakespeare's own works to illustrate his conclusions. There are even photos, well captioned, I'll note, and a lengthy list of books referred to in his lectures as well as an index for the book. If you're a fan of Shakespeare, you'll definitely enjoy the ample use of his written works, even the controversial sonnets. 

Nope, not giving away details. Read the blurb. Buy the book. I think you'll like the man that emerges and find his likely creative pattern interesting. Not a dry read by any stretch of the imagination, which I'd sorta feared. Shakespeare had to juggle so many demands, even the availability of certain things, like a trapdoor, in the theatre, not to mention be aware of the limits and skills of his players as well as numbers, usually no more than fourteen. I'm sure most know all roles in Shakespeare's day were performed by men, but even then some had more than one role to play, which had to be a major drain on energy, both physical and emotional. Shakespeare loved puns and word play, so just coping with multiple character lines to learn was surely time consuming. 

Bottom line, this is a book that will be finding a permanent place on my shelf. How delightful to find out the very human side of my celebrated ancestor. His words still have the power to stir us. Thanks #NetGalley and #CambridgeUniversityPress for this insight into a man few of us, related or not, truly know. Proud to call him an ancestor.