An electrifying new study that investigates the challenges of the Bard’s inconsistencies and flaws, and focuses on revealing—not resolving—the ambiguities of the plays and their changing topicality A genius and prophet whose timeless works encapsulate the human condition like no other. A writer who surpassed his contemporaries in vision, originality, and literary mastery. A man who wrote like an angel, putting it all so much better than anyone else. Is this Shakespeare? Well, sort of. But it doesn’t tell us the whole truth. So much of what we say about Shakespeare is either not true, or just not relevant. In This Is Shakespeare, Emma Smith—an intellectually, theatrically, and ethically exciting writer—takes us into a world of politicking and copycatting, as we watch Shakespeare emulating the blockbusters of Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd (the Spielberg and Tarantino of their day), flirting with and skirting around the cutthroat issues of succession politics, religious upheaval, and technological change. Smith writes in strikingly modern ways about individual agency, privacy, politics, celebrity, and sex. Instead of offering the answers, the Shakespeare she reveals poses awkward questions, always inviting the reader to ponder ambiguities.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1880.

Shakespeare Studies is an international volume published every year in hard cover, containing essays and studies by critics and cultural historians from both hemispheres. It includes substantial reviews of significant books and essays dealing with the cultural history of early modern England, as well as the place of Shakespeare's productions - and those of his contemporaries - within it. Volume XXXII continues the second in a series of essays on Early Modern Drama around the World in which specialists in theatrical traditions from around the globe during the time of Shakespeare discuss the state of scholarly study in their respective areas. O'Hara reviews work relevant to the theater of early modern France. Volume XXXII also includes another in the journal's series of Forums, entitled The Future of Renaissance Manuscript Studies. Organized and introduced by Peter Beal, the Forum includes contributions by Margaret J. M. Ezell, Grace Ioppolo, Harold Love, and Steven W. May. Additionally, this volume contains seven full-length articles and twenty-two book reviews. Leeds Barroll is a Scholar in Residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library,

Revealing the modernity of Shakespeare's politics, and the theatricality of Trump's