Shakespeare Closely Read is a collection of essays by Shakespearean scholars, all of which were originally papers presented at the 2008 International Shakespeare Conference at Stratford-upon-Avon. Each contains a close reading of Shakespearean or other Elizabethan dramatic texts in an effort to open up new meanings and interpretations. The volume contains an introduction by the editor on the history of close reading and its place in contemporary critical theory and practice.

Even though Shakespeare openly dramatizes aristocratic shows in his own plays, the circumstances of early modern performance at court have received relatively little critical attention. With so much written on the playwright's wide and multi-layered audiences, the entertainment of the court itself has too long been dismissed as a secondary issue. This book aims to shed fresh light on the multiple aspects of Shakespearean performances at the Elizabethan and early Stuart courts, considering ...

This title was first published in 2002. This second volume of The Shakespearean International Yearbook continues the work of assessing the present state of Shakespeare studies in the new millennium.Comprising 20 essays by distinguished scholars from North America, the UK and Australia, it is divided into sections on criticism and theory; text, textuality and technology; Renaissance ideas and conventions; and Shakespeare and the city. The essays address issues that are fundamental t...