William Shakespeare

Preface ix

1 Language: Macbeth, Richard II, Henry IV 1

2 Desire: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night 18

3 Law: The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida 35

4 ‘Nothing’: Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus 64

5 Value: King Lear, Timon of Athens, Antony and Cleopatra 76

6 Nature: As You Like It. The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest 90

Conclusion 97

Notes 105

Index 109