PBS is airing a four-part documentary by British filmmaker Michael Wood on the life and times of the man we know as William Shakespeare. The first installment premiered last night.
You may not think about Shakespeare too much, maybe consigning him only to unpleasant memories of high school English class. But he is surely the greatest figure in all of English literature and one of the strongest influences on our language, so, if you care anything about our Culture and History, it should be of some interest to learn about his life.
For people like me, though, "Shakespeare" is the name of a world-famous dramatist and poet ---but this is not necessarily the same man as William Shakspere of Stratford-upon-Avon. This is the essence of Anti-Stratfordian belief; that the two identities are so widely divergent at so many crucial points that it may be reasonably doubted that they are inherent in the same individual.
Efforts like Wood's only go to show how little there is to say about the literary life of William Shakspere (as distinct from William Shakespeare). This documentary is no better in resolving that problem than any of the popular (or even scholarly) written biographies. Shakspere's life is well-documented for a man born almost 450 years ago, but it is mostly one of real estate and money-lending transactions. Surprisingly little documentation exists that would lead one to believe that this small-town businessman and big-city theatrical entrepreneur was actually the author of the plays and poems we attribute to Shakespeare.
Be sure to tune in to Wood's documentary, but keep in mind that much of what he states as fact are simply his speculations.