Table of Contents

1 Introduction 8
2 'Lost years' 12
3 'Upstart crow' 14
4 Becoming the bard 15
5 One last blow 18
6 'Our revels now are ended' 20
7 An unerring eye 22
8 'Farewell to Folly' 24
9 Star of poets 25
10 All the Globe's a stage 26
11 A full house 30
12 American visionary 31
13 Different spectacles 34
14 Makeup concoctions 35
15 Set in stone 37
16 Hand wringing 39
17 Portrait of the bard 40
18 Sought-after item 43
19 Stellar legacy 46
20 Written when? 48
21 Origins of Falstaff 50
22 Bard of bird fanciers 52
23 'Pound of flesh' 54
24 Charge of sexism 57
25 'Lost' plays 59
26 Picture of hysteria 62
27 Shrine to the bard 64
28 Stage dynasty 68
29 First-hand account 70
30 Hell-raiser 72
31 Public scandal 73
32 Disastrous spectacles 76
33 Masonic cabal 78
34 Opposing factions 80
35 The Baconians 81
36 Rivers of blood 84
37 In and out of favour 86
38 Sustained observation 88
39 Advance warning 89
40 The Oxfordians 91
41 Poetic styles 94
42 The Marlovians 95
43 'Noted weed' 99
44 Beloved by Russia 102
45 'Vulgar and barbarous' 105
46 Toe-curling homage 106
47 The silver screen 109
48 At each other's throats 112
49 Subtle shifts 113
50 Five beats to a bar 115
51 Heralding a Golden Age 119
52 'Loathsome as a toad' 122
53 Something borrowed 125
54 Shakespeare Trek 126
55 Inspiring songwriters 127
56 Inspiring wordsmiths 130
57 Playwright for all ages 132
58 Index 136

About the Author

Joseph Piercy has written a number of successful books for a range of leading publishers, including Michael O’Mara and The History Press. He is the author of The Story of English, 25 Rules of Grammar and Slippery Tipples amongst many others. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in English Studies and is a regular contributor to various magazines and journals.

Joseph lives in Brighton.