Hopkins argues the succession to the throne was a burning topic not only in the final years of Elizabeth but well into the 1630s, and drama, with its disguised identities and oblique relationship to reality, was a safe way to air it. Hopkins analyzes some of the ways in which plays-from Marlowe's and Shakespeare's to Webster's and Ford's-reflect, negotiate and dream the issue of the succession.

Lisa Hopkins is Professor of English at Sheffield Hallam University and co-editor of Shakespeare, the journal of the British Shakespeare Association.

Introduction; Chapter 1 Christopher Marlowe and the Succession to the English Crown; Chapter 2 Romans and Fairies; Chapter 3 Robin Hood and the King's Two Bodies; Chapter 4 Female Transmission, Female Taint; Chapter 5 Antonios and Stewards; Chapter 6 One King, Two Kingdoms?; Chapter 7 John Ford and the 1630s; Chapter 8 Conclusion;