This book examines the unstable relationship between culture and value in the new century and the way that each of these concepts is applied to Shakespeare. It uniquely in uses social policy, anthropology and economics, as well as close readings of Shakespeare's plays, to show how a text from the past becomes part of contemporary culture, and how Shakespeare's writing informs modern ideas of cultural value. It goes beyond the twentieth-century cultural studies debates that argued the case for and against Shakespeare’s status, to show how he can exist both as a free artistic resource and as a branded product in the cultural marketplace. It sets out the contemporary consensus about cultural value and examines the intellectual problems that complicate the concepts of ‘value’ and ‘culture’. The way that those concepts are played out in Shakespeare’s writing and reproduction is addressed in detail, along with the role of government agencies and institutions in providing a structure for his works.

This book will appeal not only to students and academics studying Shakespeare, but also to educators, policy-makers and anyone interested in contemporary cultural dilemmas.