SouloftheAgeABiographyoftheMindofWill

“Onemaninhistimeplaysmanyparts，Hisactsbeingsevenages.”Inthisilluminating，innovativebiography，JonathanBate，oneoftoday’smostaccomplishedShakespeareanscholars，hasfoundafascinatingnewwaytotellthestoryofthegreatdramatist.UsingtheBard’sownimmortallistofaman’ssevenagesinAsYouLikeIt，BatededucesthecrucialeventsofShakespeare’slifeandconnectsthemtohisworldandworkasneverbefore.Hereistheauthorasaninfant，bornintoaworldofplagueandsyphillis，diseaseswithwhichhebecamecloselyfamiliar;asaschoolboy，apositionheportrayedinTheMerryWivesofWindsor，inwhichaclever，cheekyladnamedWilliamlearnsLatingrammar;asalover，marriedateighteentoanolderwomanalreadypregnant，perhapspresagingBassanio，whoinTheMerchantofVenicewonawifewhocouldsavehimfromfinancialruin.Here，too，isShakespeareasasoldier，writingHenrytheFifth’sSt.Crispin’sDayspeech，withanodtohisownmonarchElizabethI’spassionateaddresses;asajustice，revealinghispossiblelegaltraininginhispreciseuseofthelawinplaysfromHamlettoMacbeth;andasapantaloon，anearlyretireebecauseof，Batepostulates，eitherillnessorascandal.Finally，Shakespeareentersoblivion，withsonnetsthatsuggestheactivelysoughtimmortalitythroughhisartandsecretlyhelpedshapehisposthumousimagemorethananyoneeverknew.Equalpartsmasterlydetectivestory，brilliantliteraryanalysis，andinsightfulworldhistory，SouloftheAgeismorethanasuperbnewrecountingofShakespeare’sexperiences;itisaboldandentertainingworkofscholarshipandspeculation，onethatshiftsfrompasttopresent，realitytotheimagination，torevealhowthisunsurpassedartistcametobe.