The first serious study of Shakespeare's pervasive presence in English cultural life in the 18th and early 19th centuries, this work examines how during times of political stress both "establishment" and "radical" culture tend to compete for possession of the national poet. In agroundbreaking analysis, Bate reveals this process at work in the brilliant political satires of Gillray, the Cruikshanks and other caricaturists, and in the performances and interpretation of the plays of the period, including such phenomena as Garrick's Jubilee and Boydell's picture gallery. Atthe very heart of the argument is Hazlitt, bringing Shakespeare to bear on contemporary life, responding to Edmund Kean in the theater, and developing radically new readings of the plays.