A genius who surpassed his contemporaries in vision, originality, and literary mastery: Is this Shakespeare? Perhaps, but it doesn't tell us the whole truth. So much of what we say about Shakespeare is either not true or just not relevant, argues Emma Smith, who shows us the Bard cleverly addressing the inflammatory issues of royal succession, religious upheaval, and technological change. Surveying how Shakespeare commented on privacy, politics, celebrity, and sex, Smith sidesteps any easy answers, and invites us to instead revel in the rich ambiguities of the plays and sonnets.