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Players
The Mysterious Identity of William Shakespeare

by Bertram Fields



      There's always been controversy behind the history of William Shakespeare and the validity of his history and connection with great works like Macbeth and Hamlet. Some experts believe that the man who was from Stratford-upon-Avon isn't the real Shakespeare, but a simple, though prominent peasant man who was confused as the author of a collection of works that are actually by various playwrights. Others believe that he is the real Shakespeare but that his past had been invented in order to make his life and road to celebrity more "dramatic," a signature trait of one who valued drama so much that he lovingly satirized it. Fields takes his readers through the thousands of different theories, studies, and strange connections that have aided in baffling the literary and historical worlds more than reading the plays themselves did.

      I'm an English major, and Shakespeare is one of the great writers that we grow to have an extremely close love/hate relationship with in regard to countless research papers and essays. I jumped at the chance to read a book that questions the validity of every theory about this enigmatic playwright and his mysterious presence in this world. I recommend this book for those who are itching for a read that will make their brain twist around each word like a curious snake.

The Book

Regan Books (HarperCollins)
March 1, 2005
Hardcover
0-06-077559-9
Nonfiction
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The Reviewer

Carisa Weeaks
Reviewed 2005
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