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I.IntroductionAnydiscussionofShakespeare'slifeisboundtobeloadedwithsuperlatives.Inthecourseofaquartercentury,Shakespearewrotesomethirty-eightplays.Takenindividually,severalofthemareamongtheworld'sfinestwrittenworks;takencollectively,theyestablishShakespeareastheforemostliterarytalentofhisownElizabethanAgeand,evenmoreimpressively,asageniuswhosecreativeachievementhasneverbeensurpassedinanyage.InlightofShakespeare'sstatureandthepassageofnearlyfourcenturiessincehisdeath,itisnotsurprisingthathundredsofShakespearebiographieshavebeenwritteninalloftheworld'smajorlanguages.Scanningthispanorama,mostaccountsoftheBard'slife(andcertainlythemajorityofmodernstudies)arecontextualinthesensethattheyplacethefigureofShakespeareagainsttherichtapestryofhisAgeorTimesorSociety.ThischaracteristicapproachtoShakespearebiographyisactuallyamatterofnecessity,forwithoutsuchfleshingoutintohistorical,social,andliterarysettings,theskeletalcharacterofwhatweknowaboutShakespearefromprimarysourceswouldmakeforslimand,ironically,boringbooks.Aspartofthisembellishmentprocess,seriousscholarscontinuetomineforhardfactsaboutthenatureofShakespeare'sworld.Theinterpretationoftheirmeaningnecessarilyvaries,oftenaccordingtotheparticularschoolorideologyoftheauthor.Whateverthedifferencesofopinion,validoratleastplausibleviewsaboutShakespeare,hischaracterandhispersonalexperiencecontinuetobeadvanced.YetevenamongmodernShakespearebiographies,inadditiontooutlandishinterpretationsoftheavailablefacts,therepersists(andgrows)abodyoftraditionsaboutsuchmattersasShakespeare'smarriage,hismovetoLondon,thecircumstancesofhisdeathandthelike.Theresultofallthisisthatthereisnowahugetapestryofdescriptive,critical,andanalyticalworkaboutShakespeareinexistence,muchofitreasonable,someofitoutlandish,andsomeofithogwash.II.ThreeimportantpointsaboutShakespeareInexaminingShakespeare'slife,threebroadpointsshouldbekeptinmindfromthestart.First,despitethefrustrationofShakespearebiographerswiththeabsenceofaprimarysourceofinformationwrittenduring(orevenshortlyafter)hisdeathon23April1616(hisfifty-secondbirthday),Shakespeare'slifeisnotobscure.Infact,weknowmoreaboutShakespeare'slife,itsmaineventsandcontours,thanweknowaboutmostfamousElizabethansoutsideoftheroyalcourtitself.Shakespeare'slifeisunusuallywell-documented:therearewellover100referencestoShakespeareandhisimmediatefamilyinlocalparish,municipal,andcommercialarchivesandwealsohaveatleastfiftyobservationsaboutShakespeare'splays(andthroughthem,hislife)fromhiscontemporaries.ThestructureofShakespeare'slifeisremarkablysound;itisthefleshofhispersonalexperience,hismotives,andthelikethathavenofirmbasisanditis,ofcourse,thisdescriptivecontentinwhichwearemostinterested.Second,theappealofseeinganautobiographicalbasisinShakespeare'splaysandpoetrymustbetemperedbywhatthebulkoftheevidencehastosayabouthim.AlthoughtherearefancifulstoriesaboutShakespeare,manycenteringuponhisromanticaffairs,connectionsbetweenthemandtheeventsorcharactersofhisplaysareflimsy,andtheygenerallydisregardouroverallimpressionoftheBard.Inhispersonallife,Shakespearewas,infact,anexceedinglypracticalindividual,undoubtedlyajackofmanyusefultrades,andashrewdbusinessmanintheatrical,commercialandrealestatecircles.Third,thenotionthatplaysascribedtoShakespearewereactuallywrittenbyothers(SirFrancisBacon,thepoetPhillipSidneyamongthecandidates)hasbecomeevenweakerovertime.ThecurrentstrongconsensusisthatwhileShakespearemayhavecollaboratedwithanotherElizabethanplaywrightinatleastoneinstance(probablywithJohnFletcheronTheTwoNobleKinsman),andthatoneortwoofhisplayswerecompletedbysomeoneelse(possiblyFletcheronanoriginalorrevisedversionofHenryVIII),theworksascribedtoShakespearearehis.III.BirthandEarlyLifeParishrecordsestablishthatWilliamShakespearewasbaptizedon26April,1564.SimplycountingbackwardsthethreecustomarydaysbetweenbirthandbaptisminAnglicancustom,mostreckonthattheBardofAvonwasbornon23April,1564.Thisis,indeed,Shakespeare'sofficialbirthdayinEngland,and,itisalsothetraditionalbirthdateofSt.George,thepatronsaintofEngland.TheexactdateandtheprecisecauseofShakespeare'sdeathareunknown:onelocaltraditionassertsthattheBarddiedon23April,1616,ofachillcaughtafteranightofdrinkingwithfellowplaywrightsBenJonsonandMichaelDrayton.Shakespearewas,infact,buriedthreedayslater,exactly52yearsafterhisbaptism.ShakespearewasbornandraisedinthepicturesqueTudormarkettownofStratford-on-Avon,alocalgovernmentandcommercialcenterwithinalargerruralsetting,anditislikelythatthesurroundingwoodlandsofhisboyhoodwerereflectedintheplayAsYouLikeIt,withitsForestofArden.Shakespeare'smotherMaryArdenwasadaughterofthelocalgentry,holdingextensivepropertiesaroundStratford-on-Avoninhisname.InmarryingShakespeare'sfather,thegloverandtenantfarmerJohnShakespeare,MaryArdentookastepdownthesocialladderoftheElizabethanAge,forherhusbandwasoftheyeomanclass,anotchortwobelowthegentry.Yetlongbeforehisson'sfameasaplaywrightfelltohisgoodfortune,JohnShakespeare'stalentsenabledhimtorisemodestlyonhisownaccordashebecameaburgessmemberofthetowncouncil.Despiteevidenceofafamilyfin