Book Review: Shakespeare’s World: The Tragedies

Abstract

If you’ve ever been curious about the authenticity of references to plague in Romeo and Juliet, or wondered how Elizabethans treated melancholia, considered witchcraft, or treated actors, the resources in Shakespeare’s World will help you think like a Renaissance man or woman. This recent addition to Greenwood’s Historical Exploration of Literature series situates four of Shakespeare’s tragedies within the contemporary history of Renaissance England. In order to contextualize broad social considerations that the Bard’s audience recognized, the volume includes primary sources and additional references that will engage any student of new historicism or reader interested in a broader picture of society and social concerns of the day.