Shakespeare and Happiness is a study of attitudes to happiness in the early modern period and in Shakespeare's plays. It considers the conflicting influences of religion and Aristotelian philosophy in shaping attitudes to the possibility of attaining happiness.

By being the first book to focus specifically on the representation of happiness in Shakespeare's plays, it contributes to

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines methodologies from literature, psychology philosophy, religion and history, emphasizing the richness and complexity of Shakespeare's exploration of the nature of happiness.