Will in the World

A tour through the religious, societal, and political context of the years of Shakespeare’s life. Most of the biographical details were new to me, although a healthy amount of speculation is needed to connect them directly to the plays. I was most interested in the hidden references to religious conflict, which due to fears of censorship and persecution were so well buried that it takes a scholarly guide to reveal them to me.

Falstaff something roughly similar—a gentleman sinking into mire—but darker and deeper: a debauched genius; a fathomlessly cynical, almost irresistible confidence man; a diseased, cowardly, seductive, lovable monster; a father who cannot be trusted.