In Search of Shakespeare

by Michael Wood

Although Shakespeare is the world's greatest writer, his work familiar all over the world, we know virtually nothing about the man himself. In "Shakespeare", historian and television presenter Michael Wood pieces together a more convincing portrait of our most famous playwright than was previously thought possible. The book provides a fresh narrative of Shakepeare's life, drawing on a wide range of primary sources. Rather than approaching Shakespeare as an isolated genius, Michael argues that he was very much a product of his place and time - a period of great upheaval that straddled the medieval and modern worlds. In doing so, Michael reinstates the image of Shakespeare as a thinking artist, his work based firmly in the religion, politics, culture and class antagonisms of his day. In this revealing biography, Michael asks the questions the Shakespeare industry has previously failed to address.

Genres: Shakespeare, History, Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, Literature, Classics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There's more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael David Wood is an English historian & broadcaster. He's presented numerous tv documentary series. Library of Congress lists him as Michael Wood.

Wood was born in Moston, Manchester, & educated at Manchester Grammar School & Oriel College, Oxford. His special interest was Anglo-Saxon history. In the 70s Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester. He was 1st a reporter, then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes, before returning to his love of history with his 1981 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2. This explored the lives of leaders of the period, including Boadicea, King Arthur, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe & William the Conquerer (& gave rise to his 1st book, based upon the series).

Reviews

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Wood's Searching for Shakespeare is a curious biography of William Shakespeare. I read this biography immediately after Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World, and so comparisons were running through my head for most of the time I was reading.

One of the biggest differences in the two books is the audience to which each is directed. Wood's book, though certainly backed up by research and outside sources, is aimed at a more general audience. Depending on what you're looking for, this may be more desirable than Greenblatt's more academic delivery. For me, Wood's book sometimes glossed over significant details or drew more sweeping conclusions than evidence warranted.

Wood's book also tends, sometimes, to feature curious moments of fixation. For example, Shakespeare's Sonnets, which for Wood emerge as the key to understanding both the subtleties of Shakespeare's biography as well as the larger currents of Elizabethan culture, receive nearly 2 chapters of explication and interpretation, while Hamlet is covered in a tidy 4 pages.

Searching for Shakespeare is an interesting if eccentric biography of Shakespeare, and I am glad that I read it. I don't think I could recommend it over Greenblatt's book. There is, however, a 4-hour BBC/PBS series hosted by Wood under the same title as his book. I found this series much more engaging than the text and would suggest it to anyone.

Favorite line: "Old worlds are destroyed, new ones come into being; our dearest things are lost, but the wounds heal in time. Some of them."

[Al Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book that I found increased my understanding of my favourite playwright. From a distance of five hundred years there is much in Shakespeare that is mysterious. Wood presents a mixture of documentary evidence from the time as well as conjecture were the historical record is thin to give the works context and explain much that does not make sense from a modern perspective. How did he come by his suspicion of the powerful? Why do Roman gods begin to appear in the late plays? Why did he leave tragedy after producing the greatest in the language? I'm making it sound quite dry and abstract but it is not that at all. It's a loving portrait of a humane man.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you only read one biography of Shakespeare....this is probably not the one for you. There's a little too much conjecture and hypothesizing, and the picture you'll walk away with is pretty speculative. But, if you're like me and you love Shakespeare Bios, then this is definitely one to add to your library. Well written, beautiful presentation...and those conjectures and hypotheses are all fascinating as long as you have enough background to know when Wood's on shakier ground.

[MKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's incredibly difficult to write an effective biography of William Shakespeare, simply because not much information is out there. Wood's book has some interesting tidbits (the best is probably his speculation on to whom the Sonnets are written), and it's an easy read, but there are much better books about the life and times of the Bard. The BBC/PBS documentary Wood hosted "In Search of Shakespeare" was more interesting than his book, mainly because you got to *see* more of Shakespeare's world.

[Claire Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes there is a lot of speculation in this book but I think that's what made it so engaging and readable. The author doesn't get too bogged down in the research and theory but quickly explains the possibilities and why he's drawn that conclusion and moves on with the story. The result is a book that's well paced and entertaining and it is really interesting to have Shakespeare's plays put in the context of the times in which they were written.

[Xandra Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, very informative and contains some information I could not find in any other biography

[Ellie Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I wondered if it would be too general and focus on the facts about Shakespeare many people know. Not at all. Although there is some familiar material it provides a wealth of fascinating detail, in particular about life in London in Shakespeare's time. It also includes some lovely illustrations and diagrams/maps of relevant London locations which made me want to visit London immediately and try to find Shakespeare's world. Naturally, in the current climate, I didn't. If I have any criticisms, it is that I would have liked to know more about the other main characters around at the time - their stories were only touched on - for example that of Sir Dudley Digges MP, apparently the founder of the first national lottery...

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lengthy chronological account of Shakespeare's life and historical events occurring throughout it. All very interesting to consider what could have been his influences. Just a shame that perhaps 10% of fact about him was wrapped around with 90% of supposition. Guess we are still in search of him...

[Steven Belanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly smooth read about Shakespeare the man, not the myth. A bit of romanticizing about the era and his marriage, but none of it is outlandish and all of it probable. Doesn't always make Will out to be the greatest guy, either, which gives it points for honesty. Really brings home the era in which he lived, and shows him to be an actual person. Lots of conjecture, but what can you do when there's not much of the man himself in anything that he wrote? Brilliantly done.

Edit--February 20, 2025

That wasn't a great review, above. I just finished it again, and must've gotten a ton out of it this time, more than last time. And I just read it while in bed with the flu, literally just after my wedding day. What can you do, indeed.

Anyway, this is the most in-depth look at Shakespeare's time that I've ever read, and I've read a ton about The Bard. You won't read anything more comprehensive than this, either. The attention to the minute is staggering here. You'll see passing references to his friends, his neighbors, his family, his extended family, his godsons (there were a few), and just so much of it that you'll never believe again that we don't know much about the man. As I tell my students, with the exceptions of narcissists and salesmen of the time--like Ben Jonson--we know more about Shakespeare than we do about most other writers and performers of his time. And there's more coming out all the time.

Is there some conjecture? Sure, but not as much as lovers of conspiracies want you to think. And it's all plausible. Do we know all of his best friends? No, but we know a lot of them, and we can guess that people who wanted him to be godfather to their children were very close to him, yes? That's the kind of guessing you'll see here. And if, like me, you thought the Sonnets were published by someone else without his permission, and largely put together by someone else, and that most of them aren't in the same league as memoir or autobiography--guess again. Wood's erudition is astounding.

This is a must-read for readers of all sorts. Fans of The Bard; fans of history; fans of theatre or of his plays, etc. Extremely recommended. The average rating here of 4.1 is way too low.

[Persephone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The TV series, for which this book was written to accompany, is simply one of the most beautiful documentary series I've seen on television: lovely visuals, enjoyable excerpts by able actors. I was drawn to it, not only by my love of Shakespeare, but by my interest in family history research which is essentially what Michael Wood is undertaking here -- except he actually gets to handle documents!
The book is an interesting read, and fills in the details that the television show must skip over. I suppose it would be an interesting read on its own, but it's chiefly due to the documentary that I read it myself.

[Vivienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book accompanies the BBC series of the same name. It is a richly illustrated biography of the Bard.

Wood is firmly in the Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare camp and given the number of theories and books surrounding the authorship perhaps this is no bad thing.

I felt the book was OK but I'd have preferred to watch the series in order to get the full impact of the visuals.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable biography of Shakespeare and ties in nicely with the series of the same name. I've always liked Wood who never seems to talk or to write down. In the interest of fairness, I would say that this book perhaps romanticizes Shakespeare's marriage a bit much, but considering the amount of Shakespeare biographies that make his wife a shrew, it's a nice change

[Texx Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a page turner, but it is fantastic. In my past I taught high school English, and spent lots of time covering Shakespeare. I am amazed at how much I did not know. The book covers not just the life of Will, but also what was going on in his world. It gives insights and provides documentation of things I never knew existed. If you are a fan of Shakespeare this is a must read.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the companion volume to the BBC production of about 20 years ago, “In Search of Shakespeare”. It covers what we know of his life and how he worked. While not scholarly, it is pretty thoroughly researched. As you would expect for a TV tie-in book, it's written in a nice conversational style.

It also is fairly well illustrated.

It moves more or less chronologically from his birth to death. While it is famously known that we have no personal correspondence of his, and only a single verified signature, there are innumerable documents involving him and his family, as the Tudor administration was a typically obsessive authoritarian government that kept paperwork on everything.

I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way: The man called William Shakespeare existed, and he wrote the plays (although with an increasingly acknowledged set of collaborative writers, the latest (and unknown twenty years ago) Christopher Marlowe on Henry VI. This is not a book that dwells on the supposed controversy over his authorship. Time and again the author shows that Shakespeare's hand is found in his writings, using country terms from Stratford, personal names of people from Stratford or his neighbors or friends in London, and responding to the issues of the day.

It's this latter bit that is so convincing. Shakespeare had a keen sense of what he could get away with, and what to avoid, and this changed over time. He was careful not to run afoul of Queen Elizabeth's sensibilities and censors, but then changed tacks to suit King James when he came to power, writing a play responding to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (Macbeth), set in Scotland, lauding James's ancestor Banquo and his line of succession, and including witches, a favorite topic of James's. He also could write Henry VIII, which he never could have done while Elizabeth was alive.

While there are various contenders for the person who 'really' wrote the plays, the chief suspect Earl of Oxford inconveniently died in 1604, only a year after Elizabeth. Some of Shakespeare's most important plays were done after that (Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Tempest, The Winter's Tale, plus collaborations with John Fletcher and others).

While there is no doubt he was a genius with language, it's shown time and again where he got his inspiration from the books he read. Playwrights stole ideas constantly then (there was no copyright for them), and looted the stories of Roman and Greek history among other writings (as Shakespeare did).

It's all quite plausible. There's even a good argument for why we don't have anything in his hand: He was very good about not recording anything that would condemn him. The plays were continually changed to conform to the official opinions of the day on politics and religion according to the government censors.

Yes, there's a fair amount of speculation at various points because we simply don't know. That's not some conspiracy theory, that's just the gaps in recorded knowledge about a person who was not nobility.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Shakespeare but not knowing much about his life other than the scanty rumors.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, the sort you finish reading with a full sense of something really being right with the world, that a writer should do such a wonderful job on a man whose greatness towers over almost all writers in the world (and whose plays could so easily have been lost to us).
Wood remains fairly certain that Shakespeare never really lost his basic Catholicism, even though he was a man of such parts that he was able in his plays to bring in both sides of the picture without necessarily giving bias to one or the other. In other words we can have sympathy with both antagonist and protagonist in many of his plays. But Wood believes Shakespeare continued to read his Bible as his constant book to the end (amongst many others of course), though I’m not sure from my reading of the book what evidence he bases this on. Whether Shakespeare lived a ‘Christian’ life is another matter, and Wood makes no argument to prove that he did this.
But what was a Christian life in Shakespeare’s time? Half the country was Catholic, half had turned Protestant, and both believed themselves to be of Christian stock and heritage. Catholics struggled on and off during his lifetime to survive, but Shakespeare doesn’t seem to have had problems surviving. Nor does he seem to have been any great churchgoer. Perhaps he was one of those ‘private’ Christians, a man who lives the Christian life, yet doesn’t leave much obvious trace of it in the day to day. Yet Wood claims that it permeates the plays, so it was certainly within the man Shakespeare even if it wasn’t obviously without.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very well written, and is a terrific introduction to Shakespeare and the context in which he acted and wrote. The book is mostly a biography, at least to the extent that one can know of his actual life, but it is also focuses on the Elizabethan cultural and political events that occurred during Shakespeare's life. In Shakespeare's writing years, these undercurrents are reflected in his writing, and this book does a great job at allowing the reader to see these parallels. This is particularly true of the conflict surrounding church doctrines and beliefs and how these impacted the politics of the day.

The book does touch on some of the mysteries surrounding Shakespeare and his life: was he a closet Catholic? was he gay? what was his relationship with his wife? who was the dark lady? who was the fair youth?... Regarding these, Wood is very careful along the way to delineate what is known from what is speculated, but he also is clear in indicating what he has come to believe, particularly in regards to his religious orientation, as well as the identity of the fair youth. Considerable attention is also paid to the Sonnets, and what they mean with respect to Shakespeare's life as well as his corpus.

[James Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an illustrated biography of William Shakespeare this is an immensely enjoyable book. Michael Wood looks at Shakespeare's life as a playwright, a businessman, a poet, a family man and a courtier. One aspect I had never come across was a look at Shakespeare's religious beliefs and the context in which they took place.

During the 1500s England saw much in the way of religious strife due to the conflicting, and at time exclusionary, beliefs of Protestant and Catholic rulers. From childhood Shakepeare would have seen how this affected the life of his own parents, who were almost certainly practicing Catholics. This certainly had an effect on his work, determining which subjects he would pursue for his plays.

The book has some great contemporary illustrations as well as maps of some of the London neighborhoods Shakespeare lived and worked in. Definitely a good place to start if you really want to get to know the Bard.

[David Mundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some doubts about this in the early pages, but as a whole it taught me a lot about the time and place, as well as about Shakespeare's art. Though perhaps Wood over sentimentalises about old Catholic England, he is quite persuasive that Shakespeare kept at least a foot in that camp.

The book is scholarly, but on the odd occasion self-contradictory (e g on the literacy or not of William's parents), perhaps due to hurrying. On the whole it seems sound. The writing style is mostly clear and articulate, despite the odd puzzling sentence. Clearly it was thoroughly researched.

Recommended to those interested in the history or literature of the period.

[Yvette Kulik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an insightful and captivating exploration of the life, works, and legacy of the legendary playwright William Shakespeare. With meticulous research, engaging storytelling, and an evident passion for his subject, Wood takes readers on a remarkable journey through the Elizabethan era, providing a deep understanding of the world that shaped Shakespeare and the enduring impact of his plays. It is a masterfully crafted biography that breathes new life into the story of one of the greatest literary figures in history.
I recommend this book to Shakespeare lovers.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the documentary first, I appreciate Wood’s approachable, well-researched book even more. It’s evident Wood knows Shakespeare evidenced by the details found throughout each section. Even though so much is not known about Shakespeare, Wood’s presentation proves much is actually known by carefully putting together all the various established facts that touch Shakespeare’s life.
Enjoyable, informative, and worth a revisit.

[Seb Yawlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of the Bard. This is my third biography of Shakespeare I have read following Bryson’s and Ackroyd’s. What I particularly liked about this one was the elements of story which feature but also the additional detail which adds depth to his life. The detail on his plays is limited but it the enjoyment comes from an interesting perspective of Shakespeare’s life. I would recommend as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

[Tracey Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although an interesting start with Shakespeare’s beginnings, I ended up skimming the second half of this book. It had interesting historical elements, but unless you’re Shakespeare obsessed and want even more insights, and quite often, speculation, about his life and works (which were not often that original I was surprised to find, many of his plays were ‘adapted’ from others), it is quite a dry, emotionless read.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was very good. Wood digs deep into the mystery that is Shakespeare's life, piecing together what little information we know and creating a story of a man who we know so little about. I feel like I know him better from this book, and Wood sews together a gripping tale of a man who was so much more than just a poet. I'm really glad I read this book.

[Ann Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many books are written about the bard's life, but this one by Wood is interesting and gives the appropriate amount of information without overwhelming the reader with detail. A must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Shakespeare's life and work for the first time.

[Ali Chakir · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book. very readable. very well written

[gwen sansbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

I 💘💕 Shakespeare

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting I love you shaxpe

[Jean Bonilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I give three stars because it is an interesting look - without being a spectacular one - at the life of a truly gifted playwright. I recommend it for anyone who wants a first peek at Shakespeare’s life.

Shakespeare was born into a world poised between ‘things dying and things newborn.’ He captured vividly that soon-to-disappear Catholic England, together with the fairies, witches, clowns, and pagan tales with which that world was populated. Especially interesting was the way Wood wove the religious conflicts of the day into the story of Shakespeare’s life and work. His parent’s economic and political situation was heavily influenced by religious conflicts, as was his own. The social dynamic of the theatre-going public depended on politics - largely religious - and, weirdly, on the incidence of plague. But I guess you don’t want to have a theatre crammed full of people when a hundred people a day die in the houses around it!

Wood’s final chapter provides a well-crafted link to today. As he rightly points out, Shakespeare’s plays offer the only instance where sixteenth century texts are still taught in their original language at the core of the national school curriculum. “The religious language of the [period] is gone, the tremendous words of the ‘Great Sentence for the Dead’ have faded away. (I certainly have no idea what THAT is!) But Hamlet is still here.”

He closes the book with these words: “Like the [whitewashing] of the paintings in the guild chapel with which this story began, humanity’s encoded memories are being erased everywhere across the planet. But it is perhaps for this reason that, rather than diminishing in relevance, Shakespeare’s humanity, his language, his humor and his toughness of mind will become all the more valuable to us as our own ‘revolution of the times’ unfolds.”

And goodness knows, we experience now an utter annihilation of truth, integrity, and common sense thinking. I suspect Wood never imagined in 2003 that we would ever live in a world where tweets govern foreign policy and where facts can be dismissed glibly with the statement, “Well, I have some alternative facts.” What?!? How is that possible?? Those then wouldn’t be facts, would they! They’d be opinions!!

Reading of Shakespeare’s world, it definitely was a time when everything was changing, when people never knew where they stood and might suffer fatal consequences if they took the wrong side. But it was still the sixteenth century and thus possible for Catholics to quietly practice their faith in rural communities. The news from London took days or weeks to arrive. The rest of the world had started to open up in new and exciting ways, but wasn’t available at the touch of a button.

It’s unfortunate perhaps that we in modern America don’t know our Euripides and Ovid well enough to use Shakespeare’s wonderful work as the kind of touchstone it provided his contemporaries. Perhaps we should establish small group studies to learn whence all the references came. Then we could use them as protest writings! We’re going to need something to count on.

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine biography and a good foray into the historical concerns of Shakespeare's time. It doesn't contribute anything new but it tells the story with verve and even wit. This isn't the book I would first recommend to those who are interested in Shakespeare's life story, but I wouldn't turn anybody away from it either. I even got my edition signed by the author in Stratford.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wood exercises some scholastic rigor to make rather provocative points, but his ultimate political leanings undo any potential for academic viability.
I like this book. As a slice of life about everyone's favorite playwright, this book is the place to go to get information in regards to the bard - if you're a non-expert.
For those in the field, however, Wood's strangely virulent politics obscure what could have been a work of marathon scholarship. Consider the line of thought that follows:
Shakespeare's religion will never be definitively proven. There's simply not enough information, and scholars who seek answers in the plays will only find more confusion than they started with. Wood makes a very interesting case for Shakespeare's religious affiliations, and this makes sense, given the purpose of this document. Looking to Shakespeare's family members and close friends, many of whom CAN be proven Catholic, he makes a tentative, yet responsible, claim that Shakespeare was, too. So far, no problem. Shortly after the fact, however, Wood starts using the assertion to prove other things, and this is where we start seeing the symptoms of what I'm complaining over. There's an old, apocryphal story that Shakespeare was once flogged for poaching deer on the Lucy estates. Wood uses his assertion that Shakespeare was Catholic (well-argued, but no more proven than the scholars who proceeded him) to "prove," insistently in the face of scholars who dismiss it as fiction, that Lucy did, in fact, beat Shakespeare for poaching (he does amend the story to rabbits, however). His evidence? Shakespeare was a Catholic and Lucy was an avouched Protestant. Clearly, every Protestant who caught Catholics breaking the law in the Elizabethan period immediately flogged them and chased them out of town. Those of you who are scholars can start to see the problem here.
Furthermore, and most importantly, Wood starts staking tents in scholastic beehives that simply shouldn't be poked. He describes Queen Elizabeth (one of England's longest-reigning, most successful, most powerful monarchs) as "mentally damaged" and "vulnerable." No reason given for the name calling. Clearly, we all know the woman who stood on the shores of Tilbury, commissioned a government composed of rock stars like Francis Drake, Robert Dudley, and Robert Cecil (just to name a few) and survived numerous assassination attempts COMMISSIONED by the POPE of ROME - deserves this description, right?
For those who want a nice, semi-scholastic story about Shakespeare, this is your place to stop. For those who are a serious scholar... May I recommend Greenblatt or Schoenbaum?