Who was William Shakespeare, really? This biography is an exploration of Shakespeare's life and works, focusing on often neglected literary and historical contexts such as what he read, who he worked with as an author and an actor, and how these various collaborations may have affected his writing. Drawing in particular on the idea of literary personality and on new discoveries about collaboration, the author looks at Shakespeare's role models, both real and fictional. The focus throughout is on Shakespeare's words and on what he learned about writing for his audiences, which the author suggests were more varied than has been thought. Written by a Shakespearean scholar and experienced theatre reviewer, it pays particular attention to Shakespeare's theatrical contemporaries and the ways in which they influenced his writing, offering an account of the life and work of the great poet-dramatist, structured around the idea of memory.