The Routledge Companion to Shakespeare, Biography and Bioadaptation

The Routledge Companion to Shakespeare, Biography, and Bioadaptation offers an authoritative survey on Shakespeare and biographical writing. Featuring chapters by an international team of contributors, the collection examines the ever-growing variety of life story adaptations by and about Shakespeare; and responds in various ways to the question: how does knowing about the life affect an understanding of Shakespeare’s works? Divided into three sections with their own introductions, Part One ranges from new developments in Shakespeare biography and attribution studies to later portrayals of Shakespeare in performance, portraiture and porcelain. The second section features chapters on biofiction, bioplays, biopics and mixed genre representations of Shakespeare. The third part considers Shakespeare as biographer and his approach to biography in both the English histories and the Roman plays. The Companion concludes within the context of the re-evaluation of biographical criticism of the early twentieth century and reflects on how knowledge of the author’s life contributes to an understanding of Shakespeare’s works. This wide-ranging collection is an essential resource for students and scholars researching Shakespeare and biography, or the wider world of ‘bioadaptation’.