What makes a person famous?
是什么让一个人出名？
This is a mystery that many people have carefully thought about.
这是许多人都认真想过的神秘之事。
All kinds of myths surround the lives of well-known people.
各种虚构的故事围绕着名人的生活。
Most people are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare,
大多数人都熟悉威廉莎士比亚的作品，
one of the greatest English writers of the 16th and 17th centuries.
他是16和17世纪英国最伟大的作家之一。
Yet how many know Shakespeare, the person, the man behind the works?
可是有多少人了解作品后面的莎士比亚其人？
After centuries of research, scholars are still trying to discover Shakespeare's personal history.
经过几个世纪的研究，学者们仍在试图对莎士比亚的个人经历进行发掘。
It is not easily found in his writings.
这在他的作品中不容易找到。
Authors of the time could not protect their works.
那个时代的作家保护不了自己的作品。
An acting company, for example, could change a play if they wanted to.
例如，演艺公司想改剧本就可以改。
Nowadays, writers have copyrights that protect their work.
而现在的作家有版权来保护自己的作品。
Many myths arose about Shakespeare.
很多关于莎士比亚的故事出现了。
Some said he had no formal education.
有人说他没受过正规教育。
Others believe that he began his career by tending the horses of wealthy men.
其他人认为他一开始时给有钱人照看马。
All of these myths are interesting, but are they true? Probably not.
所有这些故事都很有趣，但它们是真的吗？可能不是。
Shakespeare's father was a respected man in Stratford-on-Avon, a member of the town council.
莎士比亚的父亲是埃文河畔斯特拉特福德一位备受尊敬的镇议会议员。
He sent young William to grammar school.
他送小威廉去文法学校上学。
Most people of Elizabethan times did not continue beyond grammar school.
伊丽莎白时期，大多数人上完文法学校就不继续上学了。
So, Shakespeare did have, at least, an average education.
所以莎士比亚至少接受过中等水平的教育。
Some parts of Shakespeare's life will always remain unknown.
莎士比亚生活的某些部分将会永远不为人知。
The Great London Fire of l666 burned many important documents that could have been a source of clues.
1666年的伦敦大火烧掉了许多重要文件，这些文件本可以提供一些线索。
We will always be left with many questions and few facts.
我们只知道少量事实，却有很多疑问。