William Shakespeare's absolute pre-eminence in contemporary Western culture and society is simply unparalleled. His plays pack theatres and provide Hollywood blockbusters with scripts; his works are considered fundamental to the teaching of English literature. He has given us many of our words, and defined much of how we think. How did this happen? Who decided that Shakespeare deserved such adoration? Can an Elizabethan playwright really be so relevant today, or are there other forces at work? Introducing Shakespeare looks at how 'The Bard' has been worshipped at different times and in different places, demonstrating to what cultural and political ends Shakespeare has been put, and explaining the intensity of current critical disputes. After centuries Shakespeare still remains the battlefield on which our very comprehension of humanity is fought out.