The matter of the authorship of Shakespeare's plays has been the subject of many scholarly studies. Some scholars have pointed to the Earl of Oxford, some to Sir Francis Bacon. Pemberton, however, based on his study of the history of Sir Walter Raleigh & of a great number of topical allusions to be found in Shakespeare's plays & poems, poses the hypothesis that Raleigh was the author of many of them. This is a solid piece of scholarship that makes a valuable addition to any collection of English literature & history. Illus.

Andrew Hiscock locates Shakespeare's history plays within debates over the status and function of violence in a nation's culture.