"The settings of Shakespeare’s plays often seem accidental, but Elden shows that the idea of 'territory' in Shakespeare has profound political meaning. . . . Though Elden is a political geographer, not a trained literary critic, he is skilled at evidentiary quotation and close reading. He explains the division of the kingdoms in King Lear, looking at legal discussions and empirical instances of the divisibility of land, and the Mediterranean arena of Othello, contending that the play looks as much to the southern, African coast of the Mediterranean as to the eastern, Levantine coast. Recommended."

CHOICE

“Shakespearean Territories is a truly groundbreaking volume that enriches our reading of Shakespeare at the same time as it illuminates our understanding of the nature and history of territory. An insightful and engrossing work, Shakespearean Territories demonstrates Elden’s unquestionable position as the most significant thinker of territory and the geographic working today—and in relation to the literary and dramatic no less than the political.”

Jeff Malpas, University of Tasmania

“A work of meticulous scholarship, Shakespearean Territories teases out and explains a wide range of geographical themes present in Shakespeare’s plays with finesse and profound interpretation. Beyond the specific insights he offers on territory and geography as refracted through Shakespeare’s plays, Elden displays the substantial value of bridging literary and historical-geographical analysis.”

Alexander Murphy, University of Oregon

“Shakespearean Territories offers illuminating analyses of Shakespeare’s works that are immersed in relevant scholarship on the colonial, geophysical, and corporeal aspects of territory. This is a fascinating textual analysis that builds upon the concept of territory with Elden’s characteristic nuance and depth.”

Garrett Sullivan, Penn State University

"Elden’s original contribution lies in illuminating the importance of territory to the legitimization of sovereignty by carefully exploring the world of Shakespeare’s plays…Elden sheds light on the unique position of Shakespearean theater 'at a significant historical juncture.'"

Journal of the History of Ideas