William Shakespeare

William Baker is Distinguished Chair Qiantang River Professor, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, PRChina and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Northern Illinois University, USA. Co-Editor, Year's Work in English Studies, he is the author/editor of numerous books: his co-authored Harold Pinter: A Bibliographical History and The Letters of Wilkie Collins were honoured by Choice as the year's most outstanding books (2006 and 2000). The author of numerous articles on Shakespeare, including his William Shakespeare (2009), translated into Chinese. Recent publications include Pinter's World (2018), contributions to Tom Stoppard in Context (2021), and the co-edited Wilkie Collins in Context (2023).

'In William Shakespeare, William Baker affords readers with a thoroughgoing study of the great dramatist's life and times. With key insights into the nature of the Elizabethan stage, Renaissance-era political unrest, and the textual dilemmas associated with Shakespeare's work, Baker offers an expansive, top-drawer analysis suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, and general readers alike.'- Professor Ken Womack, Penn State University, USA

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. Early Life: Birth, upbringing, family, marriage. England at the time2. London: The Elizabethan stage, the early History Plays. 3. The Poems and Sonnets4. Working Dramatist: The Comedies5. Political Unrest: Elizabeth's last years 6. The Tragedies7. The New Regime, the Problem Plays8. Shakespeare as Collaborator 9. The Last Years: The Late Romances 10. Conclusion: Shakespeare's life enshrined. The First Folio NotesBibliography Index