I • ENGLAND AND THE ENGLISH
_Richard II, Henry V, etc._
England, the English, birth and rank, snobbery, English women ................................................... 17
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*Part One*

SHAKESPEARE’S YOUTH, STRATFORD 1564–86
Born 1564: son of a farmer and shopkeeper of Stratford-on-Avon: probably attends the free grammar school of the town

II • THE COUNTRYSIDE
_Midsummer Night’s Dream, Induction to the Taming of the Shrew, As You Like it, Winter’s Tale_

1. COUNTRY-FOLK ................................................... 28
A country gentleman, a franklin, a farmer, a milkmaid, a shepherd

2. SPORT ............................................................... 35
Hunting, football, bowling, a cock-fight, a local play

3. FESTIVAL .......................................................... 42
Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, May Day, Robin Hood, the Lord of Misrule

III • SUPERSTITION
_Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Cæsar, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, The Tempest_

1. THE NATURE OF SUPERSTITION ......................... 51

English