Botanical Culture and Popular Belief in Shakespeare’s England

'Expertly grafting Shakespeare and critical plant studies, this book establishes that Shakespeare's botanical imagery savoured of the vanishing rural world outside London as well as the burgeoning trade networks of global modernity. Lander Johnson reveals the ubiquitous material presence of plants in early modern households in the form of textiles, dyes, medicines, and food to offer fresh perspectives on four Shakespearean plays, while distilling the rhetorical power of Shakespeare's plants in thorny debates about medical authority, God's immanence in the natural world, and monarchical sovereignty over the realm.' Todd Borlik, Professor of Shakespeare Studies & Renaissance Literature, University of Huddersfield 'Drawing on an abundance of rich material and insightful analysis, Lander Johnson breaks new ground in the growing body of research around the culture of botany, plants, and horticulture in early modern England. The book stands out for its focus on the profound religious and popular beliefs associated with the plants evoked in Shakespeare's plays, beliefs that are now lost in time.' Rebecca Bushnell, School of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisors Emerita Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania