A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: 1599: James Shapiro: HarperCollins: Biography: 394 pages

Plenty of biographies exist about William Shakespeare, but in his work Shapiro concentrates on a single year in the bard’s life. The author considers the social, personal, and political events that influenced Shakespeare’s writing in 1599, a year in which the Globe Theatre was constructed, England battled with Ireland, and Shakespeare produced Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Hamlet. As much a critical analysis of the four plays written in 1599 as a biography of Shakespeare’s life and time, Shapiro’s book provides an in-depth look at a pivotal year in Shakespeare’s history.

MBC