James Shapiro. 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear

The year that Shapiro chooses is one that is poignantly relevant, not just for Shakespeare, but also for James I. As a result, his exploration of crucial events sheds light on both the monarchy and the zeitgeist under which Shakespeare was choosing his plots and composing his plays. A case of possession, the bewitching of Anne Gunter, shook the nation and echoed James's already firm beliefs (he had persecuted one hundred witches in Scotland and written a treatise, Demonology, on the matter) in the dangers of witchcraft. As the king uncovers Anne's deception, Shapiro unveils the impact that talk of possession had on Shakespeare's imagination. He argues that Shakespeare forges Edgar's disguise as “that of a mad and possessed beggar” (88). The analysis that follows, which examines Edgar's language closely while considering the source of evil in this and other plays, is compelling and original.