Includes index

I. A biography of Shakespeare difficult but not impossible -- II. Stratford-Parentage-Boyhood -- III. Marriage - sir Thomas Lucy-Departure from stratford -- IV. London-Buildings, Costumes, Manners -- V. Political and Religious conditions - England's growing greatness -- VI. Shakespeare as actor and retoucher of old plays-Greene's attack -- VII. The "Henry VI." Trilogy -- VIII. Christopher Marlowe and his life-work-Titus andronicus --IX. Shakespeare's conception of the relations of the sexes-his marriage viewed in this light-love's labour's lost-itsmatter and style-John Lyly and Euphuism-The personal element -- X. Love's labour's won: the first sketch of all's well that ends well-The comedy of errors-the two gentlemen of Verona -- XI. Venus and Adonis: Descriptions of nature-The rape of Lucrece: Relation to painting -- XII. A Midsummer night's dream-Its historical circumstances-Its aristocratic, Popular, Comic, and Supernatural elements -- XIII. Romero and Juliet-- The two quartos-its romaneque structure-The use of old motives-The Conception fo love -- XIV. Latter-Day Attacks upon Shakespeare -- XV. the theatres -- XVI. The Theatres closed on account of the plague -- XVII. Shakespeare turns to historic drama -- XVIII. Richard III. -- XIX.Shakespeare Loses his son -- XX. "The taming of the shrew" and "the Merchant of Venice" -- XXI. The Merchant of Venice -- XXII. "Edward III." -- XXIII. Henry Percy -- XXIV. Prince Henry -- XXV. "King Henry IV" -- XXVI. Elizabeth and Falstaff -- XXVII. Shakespeare's most brilliant period -- XXVIII. The interval of serenity -- XXIX. Consummate Spiritual Harmony -- XXX. The revolution in Shakespeare's soul -- Book Second: I. Introduction -- II. Elizabeth's old age -- III. Elizabeth, Essex, and Bacon -- IV. The fate of Essex and Southampton -- V. The dedication of the sonnets -- VI. The "Dark Lady" of the sonnets -- VII. Platonism, Shakespeare's and Michael Angelo's sonnets -- VIII. Julius Ceasar -- IX. The merits of the drama -- X. Ben Jonson and his roman plays -- XI. Hamlet: Its Antecedents in fiction, history, and drama -- XII. Hamlet-Montaigne and Giordano -- XIII. The personal element in hamlet -- XIV. The psychology of Hamlet -- XV. Hamlet as a Drama -- XVI. Hamlet and Ophilia -- XVII. Hamlet's influence on later times -- XVIII. Hamlet as a critic -- XIX. All's well that ends well -- XX Measure for measure -- XXI. Accession of James and Anne -- XXII. Macbeth -- XXIII. Othello -- XXIV. Othello -- XXV. King lear -- XXVI. King lear -- XXVII. Antony and Cleopatra -- XXVIII. The dark lady as a model -- Book Third: I. Discord and scorn -- II. the court - III. The king's theology and impecuniosity -- IV. the customs of the court -- V. Arabella Stuart and William Seymour -- VI. Rochester and lady Essex -- VII. Contempt of women -- VIII. Troilus and Cressida -- IX. Shakespeare and Chapman -- X. Scorn of woman's guile and public stupidity -- XI. Death of shakespeare's mother-- Corilanus--Hatred of the masses -- XII. Coriolanus as a drama -- XIII. Timon of Athens--Hatred of mankind -- XIV. Convalescence --Transformation--the new type -- XV. Pericles--Collaboration with Wilkins and Rowley--Shakespeare and Corneille -- XVI. Francis beaumont and John Fletcher -- XVII. Shakespeare and Fletcher -- XVIII. Cymeline--the theme--the point of departure--goethe-shakespeare and calderon -- XIX. Winter's Tale--an epic turn--childlike forms--the play as a musical study--shaelspeare's aesthetic convession of faith -- XX. The tempest--written for the princess Elizabeth's wedding -- XXI. Sources of the tempest -- XXII. Te tempest as a play--shakespeare and prosperofarewell to art -- XXIII. The ride to stratford--XXIV. stratford-upon-avon -- XXV. The last years of Shakespeare's life -- XXVI. Shakespeare's death -- XXVII. Conclusion