This text provides a combination of well written, up-to-date background information and selections from primary documents. "The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare" introduces students to the topics most important to the study of Shakespeare in their full historical and cultural context. This second edition contains many new documents, particularly by women and other marginalized voices from the early modern period. There is also a new chapter on Shakespeare in performance, which introduces students to the great variety of productions of Shakespeare's works over the centuries.