With summaries, discussions, and excerpts from primary source documents, this book examines Shakespeare's world through careful consideration of the historical background of four of his comedies.

• Includes an introduction that surveys the historical background of Shakespeare's comedies

• Offers a timeline of key events that influenced the plays

• Provides summaries of four of Shakespeare's most popular comedies alongside discussions of their historical background

• Excerpts primary source documents for contextual analysis of Shakespeare's plays

• Suggests further reading and additional sources of information