66 The Man from Stratford

What makes a person famous? This is a mystery that many people have pondered. All kinds of myths surround the lives of well-known people.

Most people are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Yet how many know Shakespeare the person, the man behind the works?

After centuries of research, scholars are still trying to discover Shakespeare's personal history. It is not easily found in his writings. Authors of the time could not protect their works. An acting company, for example, could change a play if they wanted to. Nowadays writers have copyrights that protect their work.

Many myths arose about Shakespeare. Some said he had no formal education. Others believe that he began his career by tending the horses of wealthy men.

All of these myths are interesting, but are they true? Probably not. Shakespeare's father was a respected man in Stratford, a member of the town council. He sent young William to grammar school. Most people of Elizabethan times did not continue beyond grammar school, so Shakespeare did have at least an average education.

Some parts of Shakespeare's life will always remain unknown. The Great London Fire of 1666 burned many important documents that could have been a source of clues. We will always be left with many questions and few facts.

是什么让一个人成名？这是许多人思索过的谜题。知名人士的生活总是围绕着各种各样的传说。

大多数人都熟悉威廉·莎士比亚的作品，他是16与17世纪最伟大的英国作家之一。但有多少人了解作品背后的莎士比亚本人呢？

经过几个世纪的研究，学者们仍在试图探寻莎士比亚的个人经历。这在他的作品中并不容易找到。当时的作家无法保护自己的作品——比如，剧团可以随意修改剧本。如今的作家则有版权来保护自己的作品。

关于莎士比亚的传说有很多：有人说他没有接受过正规教育，也有人认为他的职业生涯是从为富人照看马匹开始的。

这些传说都很有趣，但它们是真的吗？大概率不是。莎士比亚的父亲是斯特拉特福德镇受人尊敬的人，还是镇议会的成员，他送年轻的威廉去了文法学校。伊丽莎白时代的大多数人都不会在文法学校之后继续深造，所以莎士比亚至少接受了中等教育。

莎士比亚生活的某些部分将永远不为人知。1666年的伦敦大火烧毁了许多本可以提供线索的重要文件，我们将永远面临诸多疑问，而事实却寥寥无几。