The particulars of family life in Shakespeare's plays are grounded in Elizabethan culture, a world foreign to contemporary students. This book helps students learn about family life in Shakespeare's world and works. It begins with a look at the classical and medieval background of family life in the Early Modern era. This is followed by a sustained discussion of family life in Shakespeare's world. The book then examines issues related to family life across a broad range of Shakespeare's works. Later chapters examine how productions of the plays have treated scenes concerning family life.