CONTENTS

[BOOK FIRST]
[I.]A BIOGRAPHY OF SHAKESPEARE DIFFICULT BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE2
[II.]STRATFORD—PARENTAGE—BOYHOOD5
[III.]MARRIAGE—SIR THOMAS LUCY—DEPARTURE FROM STRATFORD10
[IV.]LONDON—BUILDINGS, COSTUMES, MANNERS13
[V.]POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS—ENGLAND'S GROWING GREATNESS16
[VI.]SHAKESPEARE AS ACTOR AND RETOUCHER OF OLD PLAYS—GREENE'S ATTACK18
[VII.]THE "HENRY VI." TRILOGY21
[VIII.]CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE AND HIS LIFE-WORK—TITUS ANDRONICUS27
[IX.]SHAKESPEARE'S CONCEPTION OF THE RELATIONS OF THE SEXES—HISMARRIAGE VIEWED IN THIS LIGHT—LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST—ITS MATTER ANDSTYLE—JOHN LYLY AND EUPHUISM—THE PERSONAL ELEMENT34
[X.]LOVE'S LABOUR'S WON: THE FIRST SKETCH OF ALL'S WELL THAT ENDSWELL—THE COMEDY OF ERRORS—THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA47
[XI.]VENUS AND ADONIS: DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURE—THE RAPE OF LUCRECE:RELATION TO PAINTING55
[XII.]A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM—ITS HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES—ITSARISTOCRATIC, POPULAR, COMIC, AND SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS63
[XIII.]ROMEO AND JULIET—THE TWO QUARTOS—ITS ROMANESQUE STRUCTURE—THEUSE OF OLD MOTIVES—THE CONCEPTION OF LOVE72
[XIV.]LATTER-DAY ATTACKS UPON SHAKESPEARE—THE BACONIANTHEORY—SHAKESPEARE'S KNOWLEDGE, PHYSICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL87
[XV.]THE THEATRES—THEIR SITUATION AND ARRANGEMENTS—THE PLAYERS—THEPOETS—POPULAR AUDIENCES—THE ARISTOCRATIC PUBLIC—SHAKESPEARE'SARISTOCRATIC PRINCIPLES98
[XVI.]THE THEATRES CLOSED ON ACCOUNT OF THE PLAGUE—DID SHAKESPEAREVISIT ITALY?—PASSAGES WHICH FAVOUR THIS CONJECTURE113
[XVII.]SHAKESPEARE TURNS TO HISTORIC DRAMA—HIS RICHARD II. ANDMARLOWE'S EDWARD II.—LACK OF HUMOUR AND OF CONSISTENCY OFSTYLE—ENGLISH NATIONAL PRIDE119
[XVIII.]RICHARD III.—PSYCHOLOGY AND MONOLOGUES—SHAKESPEARE'S POWEROF SELF-TRANSFORMATION—CONTEMPT FOR WOMEN—THE PRINCIPAL SCENES—THECLASSIC TENDENCY OF THE TRAGEDY126
[XIX.]SHAKESPEARE LOSES HIS SON—TRACES OF HIS GRIEF IN KING JOHN—THE OLD PLAY OF THE SAME NAME—DISPLACEMENT OF ITS CENTRE OFGRAVITY—ELIMINATION OF RELIGIOUS POLEMICS—RETENTION OF THE NATIONALBASIS—PATRIOTIC SPIRIT—SHAKESPEARE KNOWS NOTHING OF THE DISTINCTIONBETWEEN NORMANS AND ANGLO-SAXONS, AND IGNORES THE MAGNA CHARTA140
[XX.]"THE TAMING OF THE SHREW" AND "THE MERCHANT OFVENICE"—SHAKESPEARE'S PREOCCUPATION WITH THOUGHTS OF PROPERTY ANDGAIN—HIS GROWING PROSPERITY—HIS ADMISSION TO THE RANKS OF THE"GENTRY"—HIS PURCHASE OF HOUSES AND LAND—MONEY TRANSACTIONS ANDLAWSUITS150
[XXI.]THE MERCHANT OF VENICE—ITS SOURCES—ITS CHARACTERS, ANTONIO,PORTIA, SHYLOCK—MOONLIGHT AND MUSIC—SHAKESPEARE'S RELATION TO MUSIC157
[XXII.]"EDWARD III." AND "ARDEN OF FEVERSHAM"—SHAKESPEARE'SDICTION—THE FIRST PART OF "HENRY IV."—FIRST INTRODUCTION OF HIS OWNEXPERIENCES OF LIFE IN THE HISTORIC DRAMA—WHY THE SUBJECT APPEALED TOHIM—TAVERN LIFE—SHAKESPEARE'S CIRCLE—SIR JOHN FALSTAFF—FALSTAFF ANDTHE GRACIOSO OF THE SPANISH DRAMA—RABELAIS AND SHAKESPEARE—PANURGEAND FALSTAFF172
[XXIII.]HENRY PERCY—THE MASTERY OF THE CHARACTER DRAWING—HOTSPUR ANDACHILLES187
[XXIV.]PRINCE HENRY—THE POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR SHAKESPEARE'SIMAGINATION—A TYPICAL ENGLISH NATIONAL HERO—THE FRESHNESS ANDPERFECTION OF THE PLAY195
[XXV.]"KING HENRY IV.," SECOND PART—OLD AND NEW CHARACTERSIN IT—DETAILS—"HENRY V.," A NATIONAL DRAMA—PATRIOTISM ANDCHAUVINISM—THE VISION OF A GREATER ENGLAND202
[XXVI.]ELIZABETH AND FALSTAFF—"THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR"—THE PROSAICAND BOURGEOIS TONE OF THE PIECE—THE FAIRY SCENES208
[XXVII.]SHAKESPEARE'S MOST BRILLIANT PERIOD—THE FEMININE TYPESBELONGING TO IT—WITTY AND HIGHBORN YOUNG WOMEN—MUCH ADO ABOUTNOTHING—SLAVISH FAITHFULNESS TO HIS SOURCES—BENEDICK ANDBEATRICE—SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT—THE LOW-COMEDY FIGURES213
[XXVIII.]THE INTERVAL OF SERENITY—AS YOU LIKE IT—THE ROVINGSPIRIT—THE LONGING FOR NATURE—JAQUES AND SHAKESPEARE—THE PLAY AFEAST OF WIT221
[XXIX.]CONSUMMATE SPIRITUAL HARMONY—TWELFTH NIGHT—JIBES ATPURITANISM—THE LANGUISHING CHARACTERS—VIOLA'S INSINUATINGGRACE—FAREWELL TO MIRTH.231
[XXX.]THE REVOLUTION IN SHAKESPEARE'S SOUL—THE GROWING MELANCHOLY OFTHE FOLLOWING PERIOD—PESSIMISM, MISANTHROPY239
[BOOK SECOND]
[I.]INTRODUCTION—THE ENGLAND OF ELIZABETH IN SHAKESPEARE'S YOUTH242
[II.]ELIZABETH'S OLD AGE246
[III.]ELIZABETH, ESSEX, AND BACON251
[IV.]THE FATE OF ESSEX AND SOUTHAMPTON257
[V.]THE DEDICATION OF THE SONNETS—THE FRIEND TO WHOM THEY ARE ADDRESSED265
[VI.]THE "DARK LADY" OF THE SONNETS276
[VII.]PLATONISM, SHAKESPEARE'S AND MICHAEL ANGELO'S SONNETS—THETECHNIQUE285
[VIII.]JULIUS CÆSAR—THE FUNDAMENTAL DEFECT OF THE DRAMA302
[IX.]THE MERITS OF THE DRAMA—BRUTUS315
[X.]BEN JONSON AND HIS ROMAN PLAYS325
[XI.]HAMLET: ITS ANTECEDENTS IN FICTION, HISTORY, AND DRAMA341
[XII.]HAMLET—MONTAIGNE AND GIORDANO BRUNO—ANTECEDENTS IN ETHNOGRAPHY349
[XIII.]THE PERSONAL ELEMENT IN HAMLET361
[XIV.]THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HAMLET366
[XV.]HAMLET AS A DRAMA374
[XVI.]HAMLET AND OPHELIA380
[XVII.]HAMLET'S INFLUENCE ON LATER TIMES383
[XVIII.]HAMLET AS A CRITIC387
[XIX.]ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL—ATTACKS ON PURITANISM393
[XX.]MEASURE FOR MEASURE—ANGELO AND TARTUFFE401
[XXI.]ACCESSION OF JAMES AND ANNE—RALEIGH'S FATE—SHAKESPEARE'S COMPANYBECOME HIS MAJESTY'S SERVANTS—SCOTCH INFLUENCE410
[XXII.]MACBETH—MACBETH AND HAMLET—DIFFICULTIES ARISING FROM THESTATE OF THE TEXT420
[XXIII.]OTHELLO—THE CHARACTER AND SIGNIFICANCE OF IAGO433
[XXIV.]OTHELLO—THE THEME AND ITS TREATMENT—A MONOGRAPH IN THE GREATSTYLE437
[XXV.]KING LEAR—THE FEELING UNDERLYING IT—THE CHRONICLE—SIDNEY'SARCADIA AND THE OLD PLAY450
[XXVI.]KING LEAR—THE TRAGEDY OF A WORLD-CATASTROPHE454
[XXVII.]ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA—WHAT ATTRACTED SHAKESPEARE TO THE SUBJECT461
[XXVIII.]THE DARK LADY AS A MODEL—THE FALL OF THE REPUBLIC AWORLD-CATASTROPHE470
[BOOK THIRD]
[I.]DISCORD AND SCORN477
[II.]THE COURT—THE KING'S FAVOURITES AND RALEIGH480
[III.]THE KING'S THEOLOGY AND IMPECUNIOSITY—HIS DISPUTES WITH THE HOUSEOF COMMONS483
[IV.]THE CUSTOMS OF THE COURT488
[V.]ARABELLA STUART AND WILLIAM SEYMOUR490
[VI.]ROCHESTER AND LADY ESSEX492
[VII.]CONTEMPT OF WOMEN—TROILUS AND CRESSIDA501
[VIII.]TROILUS AND CRESSIDA—THE HISTORICAL MATERIAL508
[IX.]SHAKESPEARE AND CHAPMAN—SHAKESPEARE AND HOMER.512
[X.]SCORN OF WOMAN'S GUILE AND PUBLIC STUPIDITY522
[XI.]DEATH OF SHAKESPEARE'S MOTHER—CORIOLANUS—HATRED OF THE MASSES532
[XII.]CORIOLANUS AS A DRAMA551
[XIII.]TIMON OF ATHENS—HATRED OF MANKIND556
[XIV.]CONVALESCENCE—TRANSFORMATION—THE NEW TYPE571
[XV.]PERICLES—COLLABORATION WITH WILKINS AND ROWLEY—SHAKESPEARE ANDCORNEILLE575
[XVI.]FRANCIS BEAUMONT AND JOHN FLETCHER593
[XVII.]SHAKESPEARE AND FLETCHER—THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN AND HENRY VIII.605
[XVIII.]CYMBELINE—THE THEME—THE POINT OF DEPARTURE—THE MORAL—THEIDYLL—IMOGEN—SHAKESPEARE AND GOETHE—SHAKESPEARE AND CALDERON615
[XIX.]WINTER'S TALE—AN EPIC TURN—CHILDLIKE FORMS—THE PLAY AS AMUSICAL STUDY—SHAKESPEARE'S ÆSTHETIC CONFESSION OF FAITH635
[XX.]THE TEMPEST—WRITTEN FOR THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH'S WEDDING647
[XXI.]SOURCES OF THE TEMPEST654
[XXII.]THE TEMPEST AS A PLAY—SHAKESPEARE AND PROSPERO—FAREWELL TO ART660
[XXIII.]THE RIDE TO STRATFORD670
[XXIV.]STRATFORD-UPON-AVON673
[XXV.]THE LAST YEARS OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE677
[XXVI.]SHAKESPEARE'S DEATH683
[XXVII.]CONCLUSION688
[INDEX]691