Coursen's primary thesis is that Shakespeare created a script, which can be interpreted by actors and directors in many different ways that can reflect the concerns and issues of a specific zeitgeist without requiring anachronistic impositions. Looking at recent major productions in Great Britain, the U.S., and Canada, it makes comparisons between different versions of the same script, quoting from critics of the popular press as well as scholarly journals to provide a summary of the critical response each production received.