Written from the premise that to know Shakespeare’s world is to better understand his work, this book presents the playwright’s life in its proper Elizabethan and Jacobean context. Readers should find the text comprehensive in its treatment of Shakespeare’s home and family, his education, London and the theatre as it was in his day, and the political, social, cultural and literary influences exerted by Elizabeth I and James I. Twayne’s English Authors and World Authors Series present concise critical introductions to great writers and their works. Each Series features a critical, interpretative study and explication of the subject’s works, with a chronology outlining the life, work, and relevant historical background of the subject, and aids for further study - complete notes and references, a selected annotated bibliography, and an index.