With a raging bear, the figure of Time, and a statue that turbans out to be a living woman, is one of Shakespeare's most unusual dramas. This book conveniently overviews the play and its contexts. The guide begins with a discussion of the play's textual history and its relation to early 17th-century political, social, and agrarian developments. It then examines Shakespeare's dramatic art, characters, and themes. The final chapters review the critical and scholarly response to Shakespeare's work and its performance history.