Customer Reviews
What is it good for? Well, quite a lot at least, but not what it wants to. - By: William Burn, 09 Oct 2008 
This book has been very well reviewed several times, with many people coming to different conclusions. Some are very enthusiastic for the book's lively style, & others find that same style itself a hindrance, encouraging Greenblatt to reach conclusions that are little better than idle conjecture. So what's left to say?
Well, I will make two cases for the merits of this book, but neither of them has anything to do with the book's claim to be a biography of Shakespeare. On that front it is pretty dreadful: there is a great deal we don't know, & to fill this much space with so little hard evidence requires a good deal of creative thinking to say the least.
However, this book does provide two very useful services. On the one hand it gives an engaging & lively account of the social & intellectual milieuin which Shakespeare wrote his plays, & on the other, it gives a useful introduction to the primary concerns of Shakespeare's work, groundedin a deep understanding of the culturein which they were produced. As such, it will be of use to a great many readers, from students of Shakespeare as an engaging starting point (to be given a good intellectual kicking later), to amateur readers looking for some up-to-date scholarship that is not couchedin language which revelsin its own obscurantism. If you want either of these, then this is a good book. It will not tell you what Shakespeare thought of his wife, because, to be honest, we'll never know.
fascinating - By: DavidW., 04 May 2008 yes, there is some speculative spadework performed here, but also an excellent feel for the young Will arrivingin the tumultuous big city; no doubt there are holes here that the De Vere/Oxford enthusiasts will leap on (in Greenblatt, the "lost years" just TOO speculative), but overall quite a convincing life itinerary of inexplicable genius;
for alternative explanation of gaps, shortcomings & lack of informationin Shakespeare's biography, try J. Looney's "Shakespeare Identified" (1920), available on-line, which obviously reaches radically different conclusions from Greenblatt, but is a useful solvent for received notions
Raises the curtain on a hidden figure - By: Withnail67, 05 Feb 2008 
I would agree with the reviews above. This is a very fine book that would serve anyone apporoaching a serious engagement with Shakespeare's play for the first time very well indeed.
Greenblatt is a major figurein late 20th century criticism, with his 'Renaissance Self-Fashioning' being a foundation text of the much vaunted (and to my mind highly necessary) New Historicist perspective.
It's good to see that the chapter of this book that focuses on Hamlet draws deeply on Greenblatt's book 'Hamletin Purgatory' which shows the depth of Greenblatt's perception of the 16th century mind.
This is a very refreshingly unsentimental biography of Shakespeare. Sound textual evidence & common sense readings illuminate the probable reality of the greatest writer Western civilization has ever produced: a lovless marriage, a cheery father seeking refugein drink as his business collapsed; a homoerotic relationship with a young arisotcrat; a sound businessman with an eye to his retirement; a retired writer seeking refugein the complexities & disappointments of his daughter's marriage.
I do have a real love for Michael Wood's command of detail & his boundless enthusiasm - (Grenblatt's spare but superb bibliography gives Wood a distinct nod) but this is the work of a critic at the pinnacle of his skill, & is a masterly act of synthesis. Given to a receptive reader, this book could trigger a lifetime enthusiasm for the 'real' Shakespeare.
Enthralling Speculation! - By: James Gallen, 01 Sep 2006 "Will In The World" draws the reader into the fascinating world of William Shakespeare. Drawing on the scanty information known about the Bard, author Stephen Greenblatt constructs the skeleton of a biography on which to anchor his book. He then proceeds to flesh out his work with inferences from things known about Shakespeare's world as well as insights from his work. Much of this work is speculation, but Oh, such enthralling speculation! We will never know whether characters & eventsin his plays reflect
Shakespeare's own life & thought, but they make for fascinating thinking. Greenblatt presents his theories as to Shakespeare's religion, relationships with his wife, other playwrights & several individuals known or suspected to have crossed his paths. From time to time the reader must remind himself that much of this book may or may not be true, but then set aside his admonitions & go on enjoying it!
This book is a great read for anyone with an interestin Shakespeare or the daily & cultural life of Elizabethan England.
A worthwhile exercise in creating a believeable Bard - By: M. I. R. Clarke, 25 May 2006 As someone fascinated by the Shakespeare authorship question I enjoyed Greenblatt's attempt to flesh out the emotional life of the Stratford man, his motivations political, romantic & literary. While the Michael Woods & Anthony Holden biographies are very readable, I thought Greenblatt did a better job of getting under the skin of his subject. Of course he has to admit that there is a lot of speculation & his analysis of the sonnets is a little weak, as well as his unconvincing portrait of Mrs Anne Shakespeare & the playwright's immediate family. However there is a lot of interesting & credible speculation about the effects of the cultural & political climate under Elizabeth & James on Shakespeare's career & the author meshes the themes of the great plays well with what is known about the Bard's life events. Nothing new then & many questions remain unanswered but a few fascinating glimpses of the man behind the mask.
