Introduction

In 1657, Thomas Plume, Archdeacon of Rochester, wrote about Shakespeare: “He was a glover’s son - Sir John Mennis saw once his old Father in his shop - a merry Cheekd old man - that said - Will was a good Honest Fellow, but he durst have crackt a jeast with him at any time.”1 This description of Shakespeare’s relationship with his father, is virtually the only direct personal account that has come down to us, and tantalisingly, illuminates a small fragment of Shakespeare’s enigmatic biography. The major aim of this book is to unravel this enigma: to reveal the private face behind the public image, and to discover the person obscured by literary mythology. This can be viewed as “a quest for Shakespeare” - unravelling a series of strands which bring us nearer to an understanding of the man and the major events which shaped his life and writing.