The Facts About Shakespeare By: William Allan Neilson (1869-1946)
First Page: [Illustration: The Shakespeare Monument in the Parish Church, Stratford on Avon.] THE FACTS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE BY WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND ASHLEY HORACE THORNDIKE, PH.D., L.H.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY [Illustration] New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1927 All rights reserved COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published November, 1913. Reprinted April, 1914; July, 1915; May, November, 1916; January, 1918; February, September, 1920; September, 1921; March, 1922; February, December, 1923; October, 1924; June, 1926; January, December, 1927. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE BERWICK & SMITH CO. Transcriber's Notes: Unique page headings have been retained, marked as [Page Heading:], and positioned at the first available paragraph break of the page or the preceding page. Many spelling inconsistencies exist due to the historical period of the quoted sources. These, in addition to the original punctuation, have been retained. Obvious typesetting errors have been corrected and noted in the Transcriber's Endnotes at the end of the text. Some index entries have been re sequenced to allow for clarity of sub entries. These changes are recorded in the Transcriber's Endnotes along with a copy of the original text. The following non standard characters have been represented as follows: [oe] oe ligature [OE] OE ligature [~e] tilde over e. A contraction of en. Contents CHAPTER PAGE I. SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND AND LONDON 1 II. BIOGRAPHICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS 17 III. SHAKESPEARE'S READING 50 IV. CHRONOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT 67 V. THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 89 VI. THE ELIZABETHAN THEATER 117 VII. THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE 131 VIII. QUESTIONS OF AUTHENTICITY 156 IX. SHAKESPEARE SINCE 1616 167 X. CONCLUSION 188 APPENDIX A. BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTS AND AUTHORITIES 203 APPENDIX B. INDEX OF THE CHARACTERS IN SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS 226 APPENDIX C. INDEX OF THE SONGS 241 APPENDIX D. BIBLIOGRAPHY 243 INDEX 265 THE FACTS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE The Facts about Shakespeare [Illustration] CHAPTER I SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND AND LONDON Shakespeare lived in a period of change. In religion, politics, literature, and commerce, in the habits of daily living, in the world of ideas, his lifetime witnessed continual change and movement. When Elizabeth came to the throne, six years before he was born, England was still largely Catholic, as it had been for nine centuries; when she died England was Protestant, and by the date of Shakespeare's death it was well on the way to becoming Puritan. The Protestant Reformation had worked nearly its full course of revolution in ideas, habits, and beliefs. The authority of the church had been replaced by that of the Bible, of the English Bible, superbly translated by Shakespeare's contemporaries. Within his lifetime, again, England had attained a national unity and an international importance heretofore unknown. The Spanish Armada had been defeated, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united, and the first colony established in America. Even more revolutionary had been the assertion of national greatness in literature and thought... Continue reading book >>

The Facts About Shakespeare By: William Allan Neilson (1869-1946)

First Page:

[Illustration: The Shakespeare Monument in the Parish Church, Stratford on Avon.]

THE FACTS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY

AND

ASHLEY HORACE THORNDIKE, PH.D., L.H.D. PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

[Illustration]

New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1927

Set up and electrotyped. Published November, 1913. Reprinted April, 1914; July, 1915; May, November, 1916; January, 1918; February, September, 1920; September, 1921; March, 1922; February, December, 1923; October, 1924; June, 1926; January, December, 1927.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE BERWICK & SMITH CO.

Transcriber's Notes:

Unique page headings have been retained, marked as [Page Heading:], and positioned at the first available paragraph break of the page or the preceding page.

Many spelling inconsistencies exist due to the historical period of the quoted sources. These, in addition to the original punctuation, have been retained.

Obvious typesetting errors have been corrected and noted in the Transcriber's Endnotes at the end of the text.

Some index entries have been re sequenced to allow for clarity of sub entries. These changes are recorded in the Transcriber's Endnotes along with a copy of the original text.

The following non standard characters have been represented as follows:

[oe] oe ligature [OE] OE ligature [~e] tilde over e. A contraction of en.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND AND LONDON 1

II. BIOGRAPHICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS 17

III. SHAKESPEARE'S READING 50

IV. CHRONOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT 67

V. THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 89

VI. THE ELIZABETHAN THEATER 117

VII. THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE 131

VIII. QUESTIONS OF AUTHENTICITY 156

IX. SHAKESPEARE SINCE 1616 167

X. CONCLUSION 188

APPENDIX A. BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTS AND AUTHORITIES 203

APPENDIX B. INDEX OF THE CHARACTERS IN SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS 226

APPENDIX C. INDEX OF THE SONGS 241

APPENDIX D. BIBLIOGRAPHY 243

INDEX 265

THE FACTS ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

The Facts about Shakespeare

[Illustration]

CHAPTER I

SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND AND LONDON

Shakespeare lived in a period of change. In religion, politics, literature, and commerce, in the habits of daily living, in the world of ideas, his lifetime witnessed continual change and movement. When Elizabeth came to the throne, six years before he was born, England was still largely Catholic, as it had been for nine centuries; when she died England was Protestant, and by the date of Shakespeare's death it was well on the way to becoming Puritan. The Protestant Reformation had worked nearly its full course of revolution in ideas, habits, and beliefs. The authority of the church had been replaced by that of the Bible, of the English Bible, superbly translated by Shakespeare's contemporaries. Within his lifetime, again, England had attained a national unity and an international importance heretofore unknown. The Spanish Armada had been defeated, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united, and the first colony established in America. Even more revolutionary had been the assertion of national greatness in literature and thought... Continue reading book >>

Genres for this book
Biography
Literature

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