Shakespeare's Montaigne

April 1, 2014

Despite its title, this is not a book about William Shakespeare. It is, rather, a reprint of the English-language edition of Montaigne's essays that was available during the Bard's lifetime--the deeply personal and philosophical essays by French author Montaigne (1533-92) were popular in England when they appeared in John Florio's 1603 version. While this is neither the most accurate translation of those works (subsequent ones have corrected Florio's errors and tried for a tone more representative of Montaigne's), nor the most accessible to today's readers, its editors Greenblatt (Cogan University Professor of English & American Literature & Language, Harvard Univ.; Will in the World) and Platt (English, Bard Coll.; Shakespeare and the Culture of Paradox) argue for its significance because of its influence on important English authors, most notably Shakespeare. Helpful introductory essays discuss the significance of Montaigne, his influence on the playwright, and the importance of Florio as both an author and translator. VERDICT Florio's prose can be a tough read for modern audiences. Recommended only for specialists who want to examine the influence of Montaigne on Shakespeare and other English writers. Readers can find more complete and approachable translations of Montaigne's essays in recent volumes published by Penguin Classics (1993) and Everyman's Library (2003).--Nicholas Graham, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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