Shakespeare's relations with men and women of the court involved him at the outset in emotional conflicts, which form the subject-matter of his 'Sonnets'

He had a splendid appetite at all times, and never toyed with his food

Shakespeare avows, although in phraseology that is often cryptic, the experiences of his own heart

Reading is a wrestling with ideas greater than any we can create for ourselves. It has been said, a little extravagantly, that reading can get the better of mo…