Written by a distinguished international team of contributors, this volume explores Shakespeare's vivid depictions of moral deliberation and individual choice in light of Renaissance debates about ethics. Examining the intellectual context of Shakespeare's plays, the essays illuminate Shakespeare's engagement with the most pressing moral questions of his time, considering the competing claims of politics, Christian ethics and classical moral philosophy, as well as new perspectives on controversial topics such as conscience, prayer, revenge and suicide. Looking at Shakespeare's responses to emerging schools of thought such as Calvinism and Epicureanism, and assessing comparisons between Shakespeare and his French contemporary Montaigne, the collection addresses questions such as: when does laughter become cruel? How does style reflect moral perspective? Does shame lead to self-awareness? This book is of great interest to scholars and students of Shakespeare studies, Renaissance studies and the history of ethics.

Patrick Gray is Lecturer in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in the Department of English Studies at the University of Durham. He has taught Shakespeare, classics, and comparative literature at Deep Springs College, Providence College, Rhode Island, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. His research interests include shame, guilt, the ethics of recognition (Anerkennung), and the reception of the classics in the Renaissance. John D. Cox is DuMez Professor of English at Hope College, Michigan. He is the author of many articles and books including The Devil and the Sacred in English Drama, 1350-1642 (Cambridge, 2000), the co-editor of A New History of Early English Drama (1997) and the third Arden 3 Henry VI (2001), and the editor of Julius Caesar: A Broadview Internet Shakespeare Edition (2012).