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Article: A Disappointing life of Shakespeare.(Shakespeare: The World as a Stage)(Brief article)(Book review)
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- June 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Shakespeare: The World as a Stage. Bill Bryson. Atlas Books/Harper Press. [pounds sterling]14.99. 200 pages. ISBN 978-0-00-719789-7.
Look at an obituary photograph. It is, say, of a dashing, handsome, young officer, taken about the time he won his M.C. Years have passed, but that is the account he wishes to leave the world. It is an idealized yet real self. The Chandos portrait is the nearest we have to Shakespeare's version of that photograph. The sitter is in his early thirties, the time when Shakespeare bought his fine house and became legally a gentleman. The painter is clearly capable, and the face that emerges is not one of your Tudor puddings. He is ...