Though better known for his literary merits, Shakespeare made money, wrote about money and enabled money-making by countless others in his name. With chapters by leading scholars on the economic, financial and commercial ramifications of his work, this multifaceted volume connects the Bard to both early modern and contemporary economic conditions, revealing Shakespeare to have been a serious economist in his own right.

Graham Holderness is the author of numerous books on literary criticism, theory, and scholarship, as well as fiction, poetry, and drama. His most recent works include The Faith of William Shakespeare (Lion Books, 2016), Tales from Shakespeare: Creative Collisions (Cambridge University Press, 2014), Re-writing Jesus: Christ in 20th Century Fiction and Film (Bloomsbury, November 2014), and the historical fantasy novel Black and Deep Desires: William Shakespeare Vampire Hunter (Top Hat Books, 2015).

Introduction
Graham Holderness

Chapter 1. Shakespeare and Derivatives
David Hawkes

Chapter 2. Shakespeare, Reciprocity, and Exchange
John Drakakis

Chapter 3. Offshore Desires: Mobility, Liquidity, and History in Shakespeare's Mediterranean
Rui Carvalho Homem

Chapter 4. Pity Silenced: Economics of Mercy in The Merchant of Venice
Alessandra Marzola

Chapter 5. 'Love Merchandized': Money in Shakespeare's Sonnets
Manfred Pfister

Chapter 6. Timon of Athens in the Downturn
James Tink

Chapter 7. 'Fill thy purse with money': Financing Performance in Shakespearean England
Tiffany Stern

Chapter 8. Biography and Shakespeare's Money: Portraits of an Economic Persona
Paola Pugliatti

Chapter 9. Shakespeare and the Hybrid Economy
Sujata Iyengar

Afterthought: 'Best for Winter'
Graham Holderness