"The lectures selected by Kenneth Muir stand independently on their merits as essays in criticism.... Even the oldest of them, C.S. Lewis's 'Hamlet,' retains its provocative edge. Others have acquired a classic status."--Times Higher Education Supplement. "The collection makes important essays more widely available."--Times Literary Supplement. Traditionally, the annual Shakespeare Lectures of the British Academy--from which this volume's selections have been drawn--have addressed themselves to the educated general reader. Anyone interested in Shakespeare, including playgoers, will find much illuminating discussion in this volume. Among the contributors to this volume are Dame Helen Gardner, C.S. Lewis, Philip Edwards, and G.K. Hunter, all of whom have made substantial contributions to Shakespeare criticism in general.