Recurring to the governing idea of Shakespeare on the Edge, Hopkins expands the parameters of her investigation beyond England to include the Continent, and beyond Shakespeare to include dramatists ranging from Christopher Marlowe to John Ford. Hopkins also expands her notion of liminality to explore not only geographical borders, but also the intersection of the material and the spiritual, tracing the contours of the edge which each inhabits.

Contents: Introduction; Part I What is an Edge?: Walls: the edge of territory; Peter or Paul? The edge of the state. Part II The Edge of the Nation: Sex on the edge; 'Gate of Spain': the southern edge of France; 'Pas de Calais': the northern edge of France. Part III Invisible Edges: The edge of heaven; Jewels and the edge of the skin; The edge of the world. Conclusion; Works cited; Index.

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