This study examines the profound changes that 20th-century performance has wrought on Shakespeare's complex drama of war and politics. What was accepted at the turn of the century as a patriotic celebration of a national hero has emerged in the modern theatre as a dark and troubling analysis of the causes and costs of war. This book details the theatrical innovations and political insights that have turned one of Shakespeare's most tradition-bound plays into one of his most popular and provocative. James Loehlin is Associate Professor of English, University of Austin at Texas.