“A collection of essays from various authors examines both contextual criticism and interpretations of different aspects of the writing and presentation of Shakespeare’s most famous play. A section describing the background of the play and the life of Shakespeare begins the text, followed by two main sections describing critical contexts and critical readings. The critical contexts section examines significant aspects of characters, scenes, critical reception, and film presentations. The critical readings section looks at such considerations as use of imagination, artificiality, soliloquies, inclusion of trauma, and examples of parodies. Notes and a bibliography complete each essay and black-and-white illustrations enhance the text. The essays feature extensive research and present topics that are of interest and, perhaps, are outside the usual scope. A chronology of Shakespeare’s life, a list of Shakespeare’s works and a survey of recent editions (1997-2017), a bibliography and index, and information about the editor and the contributors complete the whole collection.”