Shakspeare and His Times [Vol. 2 of 2] Including the Biography of the Poet; Criticisms on His Genius and Writings; A New Chronology of His Plays; A Disquisition on the on the Object of His Sonnets; And a History of the Manners, Customs, and Amusements, Superstitions, Poetry, and Elegant Literature of His Age

About this book

The work is a scholarly compendium by Nathan Drake, M.D., published in London in 1817, that gathers biography, criticism, chronology and cultural history surrounding William Shakespeare. It opens with a meticulous “Transcriber’s Notes” section that explains the preservation of original italics, superscripts and punctuation, then launches into a grand title page and a poetic dedication praising Shakespeare’s “dialect and different skill.” From there the volume proceeds through a detailed contents list, outlining chapters that treat everything from the dedications of Venus and Adonis to the Earl of Southampton, to essays on London’s fashions, diversions, and superstitions, and finally to exhaustive observations on each of Shakespeare’s major plays. The opening pages already reveal a dense, footnote‑rich approach that blends biographical sketches with literary analysis and social commentary, promising a thorough, reference‑style treatment of the bard and his age.

Drake’s voice is that of an early‑19th‑century antiquarian scholar, employing formal, sometimes ornate prose and a penchant for exhaustive citation. The style is encyclopedic rather than narrative, reflecting the period’s reverence for primary sources and a desire to catalogue knowledge. Readers who relish detailed historical context, enjoy tracing the interplay of patronage, politics and performance, or need a comprehensive reference for Shakespeare’s works and his Elizabethan milieu will find this volume rewarding. Those seeking a light biography or a modern literary critique may prefer a more streamlined text.