The Shakespeare brothers
Unlike many historical fiction writers, Brit Bernard Cornwell doesn’t specialise in a particular period. Rather, his interests encompass virtually the lot. And when he chooses a popular age, it’s because he finds something in his research that his colleagues have missed.
Like them, he observes the literary form of assuring the reader that the story is the product of his imagination.
If the Fools And Mortals title of Cornwell’s latest novel seems familiar, it should. It comes from the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It alerts us to the book’s subject matter — the immortal William Shakespeare himself. Cornwell’s angle — it’s the story as told by his younger brother, Richard.
As is the case with more than a few siblings, they didn’t get along. As the playwright became increasingly famous, the would-be actor had little talent and no respect. A more familiar figure in the bawdy house than on the stage, not above theft.
Cornwell informs us that plays until the mid-16th century were performed by touring groups in halls, homes and outdoors. The same play shown numerous times to different audiences. When theatres were built for the same audiences, new plays had to be written, hence Shakespeare et al.
The Puritans controlling London disapproved of entertainment. But Queen Elizabeth I and her successor James overrode them. The author’s plot deals with a stolen manuscript. Has Richard stolen it? Was William an accomplice? Lots of sword-fighting, real and in the plays.
A number of historians have brought up questions about the Bard over the years, which Cornwell answers and means to put to rest. The foremost being did Shakespeare pen Shakespeare’s plays? Definitely. The evidence that he did is overwhelming. Absolutely.
English literature teachers used to shove Shakespeare down your throat, as it were. Nowadays, he’s a selective course. To those who don’t read him, this reviewer urges you to see the screen versions.