Machine derived contents note: Preface; 1. The reputation and influence of Shakespeare 1600-42; 2. Thomas Middleton: Shakespeare's true heir?; 3. Philip Massinger: the spurious legatee; 4. Webster and Ford: the anti-Shakespeareans; 5. The impact of Hamlet on the revenge tradition; 6. 'Beaumont and Fletcher': 'crows and daws'; Conclusion; Appendices; Editions of dramatists referred to in the text; Select bibliography; Index