In this Book

summary
This book shows that William Shakespeare was a more personal writer than any of his innumerable commentators have realised. It asserts that numerous characters and events were drawn from the author's life, and puts faces to the names of Jaques, Touchstone, Feste, Jessica, the 'Dark Lady' and others. Steven Sohmer explores aspects of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets that have been hitherto overlooked or misinterpreted in an effort to better understand the man and his work. If you've ever wondered who Pigrogromitus was, or why Jaques spies on Touchstone and Audrey - or what the famous riddle M.O.A.I. stands for - this is the book for you.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title, Copyright

pp. I-iv

Dedication

pp. v-vi

Contents

pp. vii

List of figures

pp. viii

Preface: impersonal Shakespeare

pp. ix-xii

Part I: Shakespeare, lovers, and friends

1. Joining the mice-eyed decipherers

pp. 3-14

2. Marlowe's ghost in As You Like It

pp. 15-52

3. The dark lady of The Merchant of Venice

pp. 53-74

PART II: Queen Elizabeth's Twelfth Night

4. Twelfth Night on Twelfth Night

pp. 77-88

5. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night wordplay

pp. 89-99

6. Shakespeare and Paul in Illyria

pp. 100-109

7. Nashe and Harvey in Illyria

pp. 110-125

8. M.O.A.I. deciphered at last

pp. 126-133

9. Beginning at the beginning

pp. 134-145

10. Tributes private and public

pp. 146-171

Epilogue: personal Shakespeare

pp. 172-174

Longer notes

pp. 175-188

Bibliography

pp. 189-199

Index

pp. 200-212
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