A Life of William Shakespeare

About this eBook

Author

Lee, Sidney, Sir, 1859-1926

Title

A Life of William Shakespeare with portraits and facsimiles

Credits

Transcribed from the 1899 Smith, Elder and Co. edition by Les Bowler

Language

English

LoC Class

PR: Language and Literatures: English literature

Subject

Stratford-upon-Avon (England) -- Biography

Category

Text

eBook-No.

23464

Project Gutenberg

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23464

Release Date

November 12, 2007

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.A LIFE of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
2. 2.PREFACE
3. 3.CONTENTS
4. 4.I—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH — Distribution of the name. — The poet’s ancestry. — The poet’s father. — His settlement at Stratford. — The poet’s mother. — The poet’s birth and baptism. — Alleged birthplace.
5. 5.II—CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE — The father in municipal office. — Brothers and sisters. — The father’s financial difficulties. — Education. — The poet’s classical equipment. — Shakespeare and the Bible. — Withdrawal from school. — The poet’s marriage. — Richard Hathaway of Shottery. Anne Hathaway. — Anne Hathaway’s cottage. — The bond against impediments. — Birth of a daughter. — Formal betrothal probably dispensed with.
6. 6.III—THE FAREWELL TO STRATFORD — Poaching at Charlecote. — Unwarranted doubts of the tradition. — Justice Shallow — The flight from Stratford.
7. 7.IV—ON THE LONDON STAGE — The journey to London. — Richard Field, his townsman. — Theatrical employment. — A playhouse servitor. — The acting companies. — The Lord Chamberlain’s company. — A member of the Lord Chamberlain’s. — The London theatres. — Place of residence in London. — Shakespeare’s alleged travels. In Scotland. — In Italy. — Shakespeare’s rôles. — Alleged scorn of an actor’s calling.
8. 8.V.—EARLY DRAMATIC EFFORTS — Dramatic work. — His borrowed plots. — The revision of plays. — Chronology of the plays. Metrical tests. — ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost.’ — ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona.’ — ‘Comedy of Errors.’ — ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ — ‘Henry VI.’ — Greene’s attack. Chettle’s apology. — Divided authorship of ‘Henry VI.’ — Shakespeare’s coadjutors. — Shakespeare’s assimilative power. — Lyly’s influence in comedy. — Marlowe’s influence in tragedy. ‘Richard III.’ — ‘Richard II.’ — Acknowledgments to Marlowe. — ‘Titus Andronicus.’ — ‘Merchant of Venice.’ — Shylock and Roderigo Lopez. — ‘King John.’ — ‘Comedy of Errors’ in Gray’s Inn Hall. — Early plays doubtfully assigned to Shakespeare. — ‘Mucedorus.’ — ‘Faire Em.’
9. 9.VI—THE FIRST APPEAL TO THE READING PUBLIC — Publication of ‘Venus and Adonis.’ — ‘Lucrece.’ — Enthusiastic reception of the poems. — Shakespeare and Spenser. — Patrons at court.
10. 10.VII—THE SONNETS AND THEIR LITERARY HISTORY — The vogue of the Elizabethan sonnet. — Shakespeare’s first experiments. — Majority of Shakespeare’s sonnets composed in 1594. — Their literary value. — Circulation in manuscript. — Their piratical publication in 1609. ‘A Lover’s Complaint.’ — Thomas Thorpe and ‘Mr. W. H.’ — The form of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. — Want of continuity. The two ‘groups.’ — Main topics of the first ‘group.’ — Main topics of the second ‘group.’ — Lack of genuine sentiment in Elizabethan sonnets. Their dependence on French and Italian models. — Sonnetteers’ admission of insincerity. — Contemporary censure of sonnetteers’ false sentiment. ‘Gulling Sonnets.’ — Shakespeare’s scornful allusion to sonnets in his plays.
11. 11.VIII—THE BORROWED CONCEITS OF THE SONNETS — Slender autobiographical element in Shakespeare’s sonnets. The imitative element. — Shakespeare’s claims of immortality for his sonnets a borrowed conceit. — Conceits in sonnets addressed to a woman. — The praise of ‘blackness.’ — The sonnets of vituperation. — Gabriel Harvey’s ‘Amorous Odious Sonnet.’ — Jodelle’s ‘Contr’ Amours.’
12. 12.IX—THE PATRONAGE OF THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON — Biographic fact in the ‘dedicatory’ sonnets. — The Earl of Southampton the poet’s sole patron. — Rivals in Southampton’s favour. — Shakespeare’s fear of a rival poet. — Barnabe Barnes probably the rival. — Other theories as to the rival’s identity. — Sonnets of friendship. — Extravagances of literary compliment. — Patrons habitually addressed in affectionate terms. — Direct references to Southampton in the sonnets of friendship. — His youthfulness. — The evidence of portraits. — Sonnet cvii. the last of the series. — Allusion to Elizabeth’s death. — Allusions to Southampton’s release from prison.
13. 13.X—THE SUPPOSED STORY OF INTRIGUE IN THE SONNETS — The youth’s relations with the poet’s mistress. — ‘Willobie his Avisa.’ — Summary of conclusions respecting the sonnets.
14. 14.XI—THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMATIC POWER — ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ — ‘All’s Well.’ — ‘Taming of the Shrew.’ — Stratford allusions in the Induction. — Wincot. — ‘Henry IV.’ — Falstaff. — ‘Merry Wives of Windsor.’ — ‘Henry V.’ — Essex and the rebellion of 1601. — Shakespeare’s popularity and influence. — The Mermaid meetings. — Mere’s eulogy, 1598. — Value of his name to publishers. — ‘The Passionate Pilgrim.’ — ‘The Phœnix and the Turtle.’
15. 15.XII—THE PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OF LIFE — Shakespeare’s practical temperament. — His father’s difficulties. — His wife’s debt. — The coat-of-arms. — Purchase of New Place. — Appeals for aid from his fellow-townsmen. — Financial position before 1599. — Financial position after 1599. — Later income. — Incomes of fellow-actors. — Formation of the estate at Stratford 1601-10. — The Stratford tithes. — Recovery of small debts.
16. 16.XIII—MATURITY OF GENIUS — Literary work in 1599. — ‘Much Ado.’ — ‘As You Like It.’ — ‘Twelfth Night.’ — ‘Julius Cæsar,’ 1601. — The strife between adult and boy actors. — Shakespeare’s references to the struggle. — Jonson’s ‘Poetaster.’ — Shakespeare’s alleged partisanship. — ‘Hamlet,’ 1602. — The problem of its publication. — The First Quarto, 1603. — The Second Quarto, 1604. — The Folio Version. — Popularity of ‘Hamlet.’ — ‘Troilus and Cressida.’ — Treatment of the theme. — Queen Elizabeth’s death, March 26, 1603. — James I’s patronage.
17. 17.XIV—THE HIGHEST THEMES OF TRAGEDY — ‘Othello’ and ‘Measure for Measure.’ — ‘Macbeth.’ — ‘King Lear.’ — ‘Timon of Athens.’ — ‘Pericles.’ — ‘Antony and Cleopatra.’ — ‘Coriolanus.’
18. 18.XV—THE LATEST PLAYS — The latest plays. — ‘Cymbeline.’ — ‘A Winter’s Tale.’ — ‘Tempest.’ — Fanciful interpretations of ‘The Tempest.’ — Unfinished plays. The lost play of ‘Cardenio.’ — ‘Two Noble Kinsmen.’ — ‘Henry VIII.’
19. 19.XVI—THE CLOSE OF LIFE — Plays at Court in 1613. Actor-friends. — Final settlement at Stratford. — Domestic affairs. — Purchase of a house in Blackfriars. — Attempt to enclose the Stratford common fields. — Death. Burial. — The will. Bequest to his wife. — His heiress. Legacies to friends. — The tomb. — Personal character.
20. 20.XVII—SURVIVORS AND DESCENDANTS — The survivors. Mistress Judith Quiney. — Mistress Susannah Hall. — The last descendant. — Shakespeare’s brothers.
21. 21.XVIII—AUTOGRAPHS, PORTRAITS, AND MEMORIALS — Spelling of the poet’s surname. Autograph signatures. — Shakespeare’s portraits. The Stratford bust. The ‘Stratford’ portrait. — Droeshout’s engraving. — The ‘Droeshout’ painting. — Later portraits. — The ‘Chandos’ portrait. — The ‘Jansen’ portrait. — The ‘Felton’ portrait. — The ‘Soest’ portrait. — Miniatures. — The Garrick Club bust. — Alleged death-mask. — Memorials in sculpture.
22. 22.XIX—BIBLIOGRAPHY — Quartos of the poems in the poet’s lifetime. — Posthumous quartos of the poems. — The ‘Poems’ of 1640. — Quartos of the plays in the poet’s lifetime. — Posthumous quartos of the plays. — The First Folio. The publishing syndicate. — The prefatory matter. — The value of the text. — The order of the plays. — The typography. — Unique copies. — The Sheldon copy. — Estimated number of extant copies. — Reprints of the First Folio. — The Second Folio. The Third Folio. The Fourth Folio. — Eighteenth-century editors. — Nicholas Rowe, 1674-1718. — Alexander Pope, 1688-1744. — Lewis Theobald, 1688-1744. — Sir Thomas Hanmer, 1677-1746. — Bishop Warburton, 1698-1779. — Dr. Johnson, 1709-1783. — Edward Capell, 1713-1781. — George Steevens, 1736-1800. — Edmund Malone, 1741-1812. — Variorum editions. — Nineteenth-century editors. — Alexander Dyce, 1798-1869. Howard Staunton, 1810-1874. The Cambridge edition, 1863-6. — Other nineteenth-century editions.
23. 23.XX—POSTHUMOUS REPUTATION — Ben Jonson’s tribute. — 1660-1702. Dryden’s view. — Restoration adaptations. — From 1702 onwards. — Stratford festivals. — On the English stage. The first appearance of actresses in Shakespearean parts. David Garrick, 1717-1779. — John Philip Kemble, 1757-1823. Mrs. Sarah Siddons, 1755-1831. — Edmund Kean, 1787-1833. — William Charles Macready, 1793-1873. — Recent revivals. — In music and art. — In America. — Translations. In Germany. German translations. — Modern German writers on Shakespeare. — On the German stage. — In France. Voltaire’s strictures. — French critics’ gradual emancipation from Voltairean influence. — On the French stage. — In Italy. — In Holland. — In Russia. — In Poland. — In Hungary. — In other countries.
24. 24.XXI—GENERAL ESTIMATE — General estimate. — Character of Shakespeare’s achievement. — Its universal recognition.
25. 25.APPENDIX — I.—THE SOURCES OF BIOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE. — Contemporary records abundant. — First efforts in biography. — Biographers of the nineteenth century. Stratford topography. — Specialised studies in biography. Useful epitomes. — Aids to study of plots and text. Concordances. Bibliographies. — Critical studies. — Shakespearean forgeries. — John Jordan, 1746-1809. — The Ireland forgeries, 1796. — Forgeries promulgated by Collier and others, 1835-1849. — II.—THE BACON-SHAKESPEARE CONTROVERSY. — Its source. Toby Matthew’s letter. — Chief exponents. Its vogue in America. — Extent of the literature. — III.—THE YOUTHFUL CAREER OF THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON. — Southampton and Shakespeare. — Parentage. Birth on Oct. 6, 1573. — Education. — Recognition of Southampton’s youthful beauty. — Reluctance to marry. — Intrigue with Elizabeth Vernon. — Marriage in 1598. — Imprisonment, 1601-3. — Later career. Death on Nov. 10, 1624. — IV.—THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON AS A LITERARY PATRON. — Southampton’s collection of books. — References in his letters to poems and plays. — His love of the theatre. — Poetic adulation. Barnabe Barnes’s sonnet, 1593. — Tom Nash’s addresses. — Markham’s sonnet, 1595. Florio’s address, 1598. — The congratulations of the poets in 1603. — Elegies on Southampton. — V.—THE TRUE HISTORY OF THOMAS THORPE AND ‘MR. W. H.’ — The publication of the sonnets in 1609. — Publishers’ dedication. — Thorpe’s early life. — His ownership of the manuscript of Marlowe’s ‘Lucan.’ His dedicatory address to Edward Blount in 1600. — Character of his business. — Shakespeare’s sufferings at publishers’ hands. — The use of initials in dedications of Elizabethan and Jacobean books. — Frequency of wishes for ‘happiness’ and ‘eternity’ in dedicatory greetings. — Five dedications by Thorpe. — ‘W. H.’ signs dedication of Southwell’s poems in 1606. — ‘W. H.’ and Mr. William Hall. — ‘The onlie begetter’ means ‘only procurer’. — VI.—‘MR. WILLIAM HERBERT.’ — Origin of the notion that ‘Mr. W. H.’ stands for ‘Mr. William Herbert.’ — The Earl of Pembroke known only as Lord Herbert in youth. — Thorpe’s mode of addressing the Earl of Pembroke. — VII.—SHAKESPEARE AND THE EARL OF PEMBROKE. — Shakespeare with the acting company at Wilton in 1603. — The dedication of the First Folio. — No suggestion in the sonnets of the youth’s identity with Pembroke. — Aubrey’s ignorance of any relation between Shakespeare and Pembroke. — VIII.—THE ‘WILL’ SONNETS. — Elizabethan meanings of ‘will.’ — Shakespeare’s uses of the word. — Shakespeare’s puns on the word. — Arbitrary and irregular use of italics by Elizabethan and Jacobean printers. — The conceits of sonnets cxxxv-vi. interpreted. — Sonnet cxxxv. — Sonnet cxxxvi. — Sonnet cxxxiv. Meaning of Sonnet cxliii. — IX.—THE VOGUE OF THE ELIZABETHAN SONNET, 1591-1597. — Wyatt’s and Surrey’s Sonnets, published in 1557. Watson’s ‘Centurie of Love,’ 1582. — Sidney’s ‘Astrophel and Stella,’ 1591. — (1) Collected sonnets of feigned love. Daniel’s ‘Delia,’ 1592. — Fame of Daniel’s sonnets. — Constable’s ‘Diana,’ 1592. — Barnes’ sonnets, 1593. — Watson’s ‘Tears of Fancie,’ 1593. — Fletcher’s ‘Licia,’ 1593. — Lodge’s ‘Phillis,’ 1593. — Drayton’s ‘Idea’, 1594. — Percy’s ‘Cœlia,’ 1594. — Zepheria, 1594. — Barnfield’s sonnets to Ganymede, 1595. — Spenser’s ‘Amoretti’, 1595. — ‘Emaricdulfe,’ 1595. — Sir John Davies’s ‘Gullinge Sonnets,’ 1595. — Linche’s ‘Diella,’ 1596. — Griffin’s ‘Fidessa,’ 1596. Thomas Campion, 1596. — William Smith’s ‘Chloris,’ 1596. — Robert Tofte’s ‘Laura,’ 1597. — Sir William Alexander’s ‘Aurora.’ — Sir Fulke Greville’s ‘Cælica.’ — Estimate of number of love-sonnets issued between 1591 and 1597. — II. Sonnets to patrons, 1591-7. — III. Sonnets on philosophy and religion. — X.—BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON THE SONNET IN FRANCE, 1550-1600. — Ronsard (1524-1585) and ‘La Pléiade.’ Desportes (1546-1606). — Chief collections of French sonnets published between 1550 and 1584. — Minor collections of French sonnets published between 1553 and 1605.
26. 26.INDEX.
27. 27.FOOTNOTES.

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