Will in the World

This intriguing and absorbing book puts Shakespeare into context. Grennblatt, one of the leading Shakesperian scholars of his generation, points out that while we do not know much about the real man - only his immense footprints remain - it is possible to infer what he felt, thought and experienced through combining what we know he lived through (such as the Catholic resurgence in the midlands area during his teens) and what he wrote (such as his passion for nature and language). The work is like a huge detective puzzle, in which Greenblatt gradually brings the great man to life. One example of the scholarship involved is that he estimates from the historical records what proportion of Londoners are likely to have seen Shakespeare's plays. The answer is amazing.