Why Shakespeare?

Why is Shakespeare as highly regarded now as he ever has been? This book's answer to this question counters claims that Shakespeare's iconic status is no more than an accident of history. The plays, Belsey argues, entice us into a world we recognize by retelling traditional fairy tales with a difference, each chapter providing a detailed reading.

CATHERINE BELSEY is Research Professor of English at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK. Her books include Critical Practice, The Subject of Tragedy and Shakespeare and the Loss of Eden.