The first serious study of Shakespeare's pervasive presence in English cultural life in the 18th and early 19th centuries, this work examines how during times of political stress both "establishment" and "radical" culture tend to compete for possession of the national poet. In a groundbreaking analysis, Bate reveals this process at work in the brilliant political satires of Gillray, the Cruikshanks and other caricaturists, and in the performances...