Berns, Laurence. "Transcendence and Equivocation: Some Political, Theological, and Philosphical Themes in Shakespeare." Shakespeare as Political Thinker, edited by John Alvis and Thomas G. West, pp. 41-9. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 1981.

Examines the powerful cases of self-justification made by many of Shakespeare's flawed characters in defense of unethical political actions.

Dollimore, Jonathan, and Sinfield, Alan. Political Shakespeare: New Essays in Cultural Materialism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985, 244 p.

Cultural materialist study situating Shakespeare's works historically and examining their political dimension.

Hamilton, Donna B. Shakespeare and the Politics of Protestant England. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992, 253 p.

Historical study concerned with Shakespeare's knowledge and treatment of the political realities of his era.

Marx, Steven. "Shakespeare's Pacifism." Renaissance Quarterly XLV, No. 1 (Spring 1992): 49-95.

Explores Shakespeare's humanistic approach to questions of war and peace.

Orgel, Stephen. "Making Greatness Familiar." Genre 15, Nos. 1-2 (Spring-Summer 1982): 41-8.

Assesses the pageantry of the Elizabethan theater as one of its chief attractions. Orgel discusses the impact on various classes of theatrical presentations of the political activities of members of the nobility and royalty.

Shaw, Howard. "Patronage in the Reign of Elizabeth I." History Today XXI, No. 8 (August 1971): 559-66.

Examines the impact of the Queen's dispensation of offices, pensions, leases, monopolies, and titles in order to consolidate her political power. Shaw includes a discussion of the Queen's patronage of theater groups, including Shakespeare's own.

Watson, Donald G. Shakespeare's Early History Plays: Politics at Play on the Elizabethan Stage. London: Macmillan, 1990, 177 p.

Examines Shakespeare's treatment of contemporary political issues in his early history plays.