Shakespeare and Work

Abstract The world of work, including the men and women at all social levels who performed it, was vital to Shakespeare’s drama, both because the theatre was a highly successful business enterprise and because work significantly influences the plots, language, and structures of Shakespeare’s plays throughout his career. This volume introduces readers to the rich working world of Shakespeare’s plays. The book includes an overview of working conditions in Shakespeare’s England and in the theatre, including Shakespeare’s own practices as a working playwright. It also examines a range of plays from multiple genres and discusses several types of work either directly dramatized (such as service) or, more frequently, alluded to (such as agricultural work) in the plays. The book argues that we need to look beyond staged representations of labour to consider how work influences the language and structure of Shakespeare’s plays. Doing so can help open up new approaches to and interpretations of Shakespeare’s oeuvre and cultural legacy. Shakespeare’s treatment of work, in other words, is a central part of his creative artistry.