About the Book: Women in Shakespeare It is in situations of free play of the mind (as happens in Shakespeares comedies) that Shakespeares women shine, and outshine, men. Rosalind or Portia, Hermia or Helena, each outshines their lovers as well as those against their love. They always remind us of the need to change the mind-set: "I would my father looked but with my eyes," says Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream. Also, for the life or strife in the political sphere, women in Shakespeare show better instinct and intelligence, if not greater passion for power, daring for destruction, or cunning for contrivance. Think of Lady Macbeth, Calphurnia, Cleopatra, and Juliet. All in all, Shakespeare seems to plead and promote the cause of womens rightful place both in private and public spheres. The present book stresses this particular aspect through essays included in it. The book has essays selected out of 200 presentations at The Shakespeare Associations 5th annual international conference held at Kota (Rajasthan) on October4-6, 2012. Including a galaxy of senior scholars and young researchers, the volume presents a variety of perspectives built around the woman question in Shakespeare.