Finding Shakespeare

by Daniel Fromson

In 2008, a troubled Vietnam veteran turned struggling actor named Hamilton Meadows became obsessed with a question: What did William Shakespeare’s English sound like when the Bard and his actors spoke it? Others had asked the same thing before—the quest to piece together the pronunciation of Elizabethan English, the language as it was spoken during Shakespeare’s lifetime, has captivated English scholars, theater directors, and romantic adventurers for two hundred years.

But if Meadows wasn’t the first such seeker, he was undoubtedly the least likely among them. Thrice-divorced and drinking too much, he was living off of military disability checks aboard a derelict yacht. For Meadows, staging the first-ever professional “original pronunciation” production of Shakespeare’s work in New York City would become one last shot at redemption after a lifetime of tragedy.

Genres: Nonfiction

54 pages, ebook

First published August 26, 2013

Reviews

[Jason Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon.com Review: Successful profiles--as distinct from biographies, historical portraits, and interview-based magazine features--require the author's spending meaningful time with the subject as he or she does what makes them compelling in the first place, and Daniel Fromson's profile of Hamilton Meadows is nothing if not successful. Hamilton has lived several lives worth of adventure (AWOL from the American military, dashing toward the collapsing towers on 9/11, Turkish prison, and the blurry edge of madness), but an unlikely passion for Shakespearean English drives him these days. Fromson joins Meadows for several months of the latter's quest to stage Original Pronunciation (OP) productions of the bard's plays, and the resulting portrayal offers an arm's-length, in-depth look at one very motivated, very unpredictable man. Buoyed by Fromson's virtually unfettered access to Meadow's journals, photos, and current therapist, this telling of Meadows's quest will shock and amuse both Shakespeare enthusiasts and readers who thrill to stories of the weird, wild worlds of individual lives--as they happen. --Jason Kirk

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began this thinking it was fiction but when linguist David Chrystall happened into the cast, I began googling the fascinatingly bi-polar main character, Hamilton Meadows. His life feels something like Gatsby in its dreamy unreality and optimism and the search for original pronunciation of Shakespearean plays is intriguing. I was not particularly interested early on but, by the end, read on enthusiastically. Worth a read.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a book about many things: how the stormy character of Meadows came into being; how creativity became the rescue of his life; how the works of Shakespeare reconnects with modern life... The author succeeds in building up a sound logic that leads the reader all the way through the story on a stormy afternoon. Would recommend this book to anyone who shares a love for Shakespeare.

[Joshua Lohrman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good for a fairly short read, sort of an obscure topic but somehow was very interesting

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy has led a fascinating life, but this one wasn't on par with the other longreads from the Atavist.