What makes a person famous?
是什么使得一个人出名？
This is a mystery that many people have carefully thought about.
这是一个许多人都曾认真想过的问题。
All kinds of myths surround the lives of well-known people.
名人生活中充斥着各种各样的秘密。
Most people are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English writers of the 16th and 17th centuries.
许多人对莎士比亚的作品十分了解，他是英国16到17世纪最有名的作家之一。
Yet how many know Shakespeare, the person, the man behind the works?
但又有多少人了解作品背后的莎士比亚本人呢？
After centuries of research, scholars are still trying to discover Shakespeare's personal history.
经过几个世纪的调查，研究学者们仍在试图挖掘莎士比亚本人的历史。
It is not easily found in his writings.
在他的作品中很难发现相关讯息。
Authors of the time could not protect their works.
那个时代的作者无法保护他们的作品。
An acting company, for example, could change a play if they wanted to.
例如，剧组可以随心所欲地更改剧本。
Nowadays, writers have copyrights that protect their work.
现在，剧作家有作品的版权，从而可以保护自己的作品。
Many myths arose about Shakespeare.
关于莎士比亚有许多的谜团。
Some said he had no formal education.
有人说他没有接受过正式教育。
Others believed that he began his career by tending the horses of wealthy men.
其他人相信他最开始是帮富有的人训练马匹。
All of these myths are interesting, but are they true?
所有的传说都很有趣，但是真的吗？
Probably not.
可能不是真的。
Shakespeare's father was a respected man in Stratford-upon-Avon, a member of the town council.
莎士比亚的父亲是埃文河畔斯特拉特福镇的乡绅，是镇议院的成员。
He sent young William to grammar school.
他把小威廉姆送到语法学校。
Most people of Elizabethan times did not continue beyond grammar school.
伊丽莎白时期的大多数人在语法学校后就没有继续学习了。
So Shakespeare did have, at least, an average education.
所以说，莎士比亚最起码接受了中等水平的教育。
Some parts of Shakespeare's life will always remain unknown.
莎士比亚生活的某些部分仍然是个谜。
The Great London Fire of 1666 burned many important documents that could have been a source of clues.
1666年伦敦大火使得很多重要的文件丢失了，这些文件本该是线索。
We will always be left with many questions and few facts.
我们仍有许多的问题，却只知道很少的事实。