ABSTRACT
Although he had been only partially successful in his admittedly difficultrole of Ambassador to France, when Neville returned to London on 6 August 1600 he was, to the outside world at least, at the height of his status and influence, a man still in his thirties who appeared destined for a memorable career in the service of the government. As ‘William Shakespeare’ he had already written about 22 plays, among them such masterpieces as The Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar, although at that stage his ultimate status as the greatest of all writers appeared problematical. Within a brief period of time, however, his status both as a public figure and as a secret writer were to undergo total and drastic transformations. Almost overnight, his career and future promise collapsed and he was faced with the worst public and private catastrophe of his life. This experience, however, deepened Neville the writer, engendering the greatest of all works in our literature.
