Due to the unique cultural capital of his works, Shakespeare has long been the test subject for new methods and digital advances in arts scholarship. Shakespeare sits at the forefront of the digital humanities - in archiving, teaching, performance and editing - impacting on scholars, theatres and professional organisations alike. The pace at which new technologies have developed is unprecedented (and the pressure to keep up is only growing). This book offers seventeen new essays that assess the opportunities and pitfalls presented by the twenty-first century for the ongoing exploration of Shakespeare. Through contributions from a broad range of scholars and practitioners, including case studies from those working in the field, the collection engages with the impact of the digital revolution on Shakespeare studies. By assessing and mediating this sometimes controversial digital technology, the book is relevant to those interested in the digital humanities as well as to Shakespeare scholars and enthusiasts.

'… Shakespeare and the Digital World, though primarily presenting the digital world's positive potential, tackles important questions and provides a critical look at what exactly Shakespearean scholarship can and should be in a digital age.' Universitas

Christie Carson is Reader in Shakespeare and Performance in the Department of English at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is the co-editor of The Cambridge King Lear CD-ROM: Text and Performance Archive (Cambridge University Press, 2000), Shakespeare's Globe: A Theatrical Experiment (with Farah Karim-Cooper, Cambridge University Press, 2008), Shakespeare in Stages: New Theatre Histories (with Christine Dymkowski, Cambridge University Press, 2010) and Shakespeare Beyond English: A Global Experiment (with Susan Bennett, Cambridge University Press, 2013). Peter Kirwan is Lecturer in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at the University of Nottingham. He was an Associate Editor for Collaborative Plays by Shakespeare and Others (2013) and he has published widely on the history of the Shakespeare Apocrypha and contemporary Shakespearean performance. His interest is in the intersection between textual, performance and media cultures.