Shakespeare’s Education:

How Shakespeare Learned to Write

Shakespeare’s Education brings to life the educational experiences of boys in 16th century England. Monarchs from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I established hundreds of schools, and formulated a curriculum based on Latin, the reading of classical literature, and the performance of recitations and plays. This system educated Shakespeare and his contemporaries Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and thousands more. It became the matrix for one of the world’s great periods in theatre history. More important, it helps us understand the writing of Shakespeare, the greatest playwright the world has seen.

“Kate Pogue’s book moves not at a snail’s pace but jogs on merrily to an appreciation for how Shakespeare transformed his lessons into art.” M
Peter Greenfield, 
Professor emeritus, University of Puget Sound,  Editor, Research Opportunities in Medieval and Renaissance Drama

“Kate Pogue’s engaging account of education at local grammar schools reminds us that it was more than sufficient to equip the brightest students for a literary career. ” 
Robert Bearman, 
formerly Head of Archives at the SBT

“Shakespeare’s education is a topic to which Kate Pogue brings the vivid insight of both the academic and the theatrical practitioner.”
 John Taplin
, Author, Shakespeare’s Country Families