A.C.Bradley's Shakespearean Tragedy, first published in 1904, ranks as one of the greatest works of Shakespearean criticism of all time. In his ten lectures, Bradley has provided a study of the four great tragedies - Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth - which reveals a deep understanding of Shakespearean thought and art.

This centenary edition features a new Introduction by Robert Shaughnessy which places Bradley's work in the critical, intellectual and cultural context of its time. Shaughnessy summarises the content and argumentative thrust of the book, outlines the critical debates and counter-arguments that have followed in the wake of its publication and, most importantly, prompts readers to engage with Bradley's work itself.

A.C. BRADLEY was Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, UK, until his death in 1935.

ROBERT SHAUGHNESSY is Professor of Theatre at the University of Kent, UK. His books include Representing Shakespeare: England History and the RSC (1994) and The Shakespeare Effect: A History of Twentieth-Century Performance (2002); he has edited Shakespeare on Film (1998) and Shakespeare in Performance (2000). He is currently writing the volume on William Shakespeare for the Routledge Critical Guide series and editing the Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture.