Shakespeare

Bringing forward new historic and documentary evidence, one of Britain's most senior Shakespeare scholars makes it as clear as it now can be that Shakespeare worked as a schoolmaster and player for a wealthy Catholic landowner in Lancashire and later for the Earl of Derby. One of Honigmann's most startling conclusions is that Shakespeare was probably brought up as a Roman Catholic.

Step by step this strange story of patronage, recusancy and aspiring talent is pursued through complex family relationships in a lucid and readable way which will delight anyone who likes a good story about a great national figure. For the serious scholar, the book shows how the Lancashire connection and the catholic background help to explain mysterious references in a number of the plays and poems, and also fills a major gap in the understanding of our literary heritage.

For this revised edition E. A. J. Honigmann has updated the scholarship surrounding this fascinating research.