Young Shakespeare

by Russell A. Fraser

Examines Shakespeare's life up to age thirty, describes everyday life in England during this period, and discusses the historical context of his writings

Genres: Shakespeare, Biography

247 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1988

Reviews

[Keith Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the biographical studies that attempts to reconstruct Shakespeare's life from the history around him and from the kinds of imagery that is found in the plays. It is often very good. For instance, I thought Fraser was particularly good on the plagues that devastated London during the time that Shakespeare lived and worked there. And that led him to a really useful, albeit short, discussion of the poems and the sonnets. I found that more helpful than most of the commentary on the plays.

Fraser clearly thought of himself as an erudite stylist, and I often found his style tedious. He was just a little too much in love with the sound of his own prose.

(This kind of study has been around for a while. I used Caroline Spurgeon's "Shakespeare's Imagery and What it Tells Us" (from 1935) 40 years ago, and I return to it often. I found it more fun and useful than Fraser's book, although she doesn't try to construct a linear biography from her study of the images)

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished skimming for second time. Very scholarly summary. Enjoyable use of play & sonnet quotes. Includes life of the Bard along with biographical cameos and old rumors about him and other playwrights and prominent figures of the era.