To say this is a biography of Shakespeare - and despite the title, which implies that it is as much about the world of the Renaissance as Shakespeare himself, it DOES present as a biography - is incredibly disingenous. Greenblatt makes a lot of interesting speculations, but that's all they are: speculations. He has no historical records to back up almost any of his claims. Some of the claims make sense; others are so out there they shouldn't even be taken seriously.

I'm giving the book 3 stars because it is a good read, and the information about the world of the Renaissance is interesting. But it should not be considered a biography of Shakespeare except in the loosest possible sense. If you want to know about Shakespeare, read his plays, or read something like Harold Bloom's The Invention of the Human or Marjorie Garber's Shakespeare After All.