▁woman . ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁Burg ess ▁rec ount ed ▁in ▁his ▁Fore word ▁added ▁to ▁later ▁ed itions ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁a ▁project ▁of ▁his ▁for ▁many ▁years , ▁but ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁writing ▁acceler ated ▁so ▁that ▁publishing ▁would ▁co inci de ▁with ▁the ▁qu ater cent en ary ▁of ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁birth , ▁on ▁ 2 3 ▁April ▁ 1 9 6 4 . ▁ ▁Syn opsis ▁As ▁Burg ess ▁rem inds ▁readers ▁in ▁his ▁Fore word , ▁the ▁novel ▁has ▁a ▁frame ▁story ▁in ▁which ▁a ▁professor ▁of ▁a ▁Malays ian ▁college ▁named ▁" Mr . ▁Burg ess " ▁is ▁deliver ing ▁his ▁final ▁lecture ▁on ▁the ▁life ▁of ▁Shakespeare ▁before ▁returning ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom , ▁while ▁progress ively ▁becoming ▁more ▁dr unk ▁on ▁rice ▁wine ▁and ▁gradually ▁less ▁in hib ited ▁as ▁the ▁lecture ▁progress es . The ▁" lect ure " ▁begins ▁with ▁" Mr . ▁Burg ess " ▁reading ▁Son net ▁ 1 4 7 , ▁in ▁which ▁Shakespeare ▁describes ▁his ▁love ▁for ▁his ▁mist ress ▁as ▁a ▁fe ver . ▁" Mr . ▁Burg ess " ▁propos es ▁that ▁this ▁is ▁proof ▁of ▁Shakespeare ▁contract ing ▁sy ph ilis , ▁and ▁that ▁Dark ▁Lady ' s ▁name ▁is ▁sp elled ▁in ▁ac rost ic ▁in ▁the ▁poem , ▁the ▁letters ▁F ▁T ▁M ▁H ▁being ▁a ▁latin ization ▁of ▁the ▁Arab ic ▁name ▁" F at j ma h ", ▁meaning ▁" dest iny ". ▁ ▁The ▁main ▁narr ative ▁then ▁tells