Moving beyond New Historicism and its focus on historical context, this innovative text applies contemporary critical theories to Shakespearean plays and explores the role of subjectivity, hegemony, and aesthetics. In particular, theories of fantasy illuminate Shakespeare's radical understanding of the relationship between reading, seeing, and being. Perspectives from contemporary critical theorists including Slavoj Zizek, Joan Copjec, and Ernest Laclau shed light on debates about philosophy, political theory, and Lacanian discourse in Shakespeare's plays. This critical work reveals how Shakespeare eschewed straightforward models of interpretation in favor of deferment and theatrics.--Publisher.