This introduction includes the latest research on the playing landscape of Elizabethan England and the domestic culture of the period, drawing on fresh archival material in order better to understand the appeal of Shakespeare's play for its earliest audiences as well as rationale for its inclusion in the repertory,Builds on earlier studies of domesticity in relation to the play to broaden these issues out to questions of race and sexuality that new scholarship has shown to be relevant to plays across the canon,Provides in-depth insight into Shakespeare's world while indicating the flexibility of his plays for readers and performers today,Combines fresh, new scholarship from leading researchers with authoritative texts and comprehensive notes in order to offer readers a complete guide to Shakespeare,Uses the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work,Presented in modern spelling and punctuation with accessible critical apparatus to best aid understanding of the plays and poems