This work investigates how Shakespeare depicts the acquisition, maintenance, and loss of public power within his English and Roman history plays. Alexander Leggatt, a scholar of Elizabethan drama, challenges the notion that Shakespeare functioned as a mere propagandist for a singular political ideology. Instead, he argues that the playwright approached each historical narrative as a distinct experiment, balancing the pragmatic reality of statecraft with idealistic visions of how governance ought to function.

Scholars frequently cite this text for its nuanced refusal to impose a single political theory onto Shakespeare's diverse body of work. It is widely regarded as a foundational resource for students and academics seeking to understand the intersection of early modern drama and political philosophy.