COVER -- CONTENTS -- FOREWORD -- PREFACE -- ONE: INTRODUCTION: THE SATURNALIAN PATTERN -- THROUGH RELEASE TO CLARIFICATION -- SHAKESPEARE'S ROUTE TO FESTIVE COMEDY -- TWO: HOLIDAY CUSTOM AND ENTERTAINMENT -- THE MAY GAME -- THE LORD OF MISRULE -- ARISTOCRATIC ENTERTAINMENTS -- THREE: MISRULE AS COMEDY -- COMEDY AS MISRULE -- LICENSE AND LESE MAJESTY IN LINCOLNSHIRE -- THE MAY GAME OF MARTIN MARPRELATE -- FOUR: PROTOTYPES OF FESTIVE COMEDY IN A PAGEANT ENTERTAINMENT: SUMMER'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT -- "WHAT CAN BE MADE OF SUMMER'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT?" -- PRESENTING THE MIRTH OF THE OCCASION -- PRAISE OF FOLLY: BACCHUS AND FALSTAFF -- FESTIVE ABUSE -- "GO NOT YET AWAY, BRIGHT SOUL OF THE SAD YEAR" -- FIVE: THE FOLLY OF WIT AND MASQUERADE IN LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST -- "LOSE OUR OATHS TO FIND OURSELVES" -- "SPORT BY SPORT O'ERTHROWN" -- "A GREAT FEAST OF LANGUAGES" -- WIT -- PUTTING WITTY FOLLY IN ITS PLACE -- "WHEN … THEN …"-THE SEASONAL SONGS -- SIX: MAY GAMES AND METAMORPHOSES ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT -- THE FOND PAGEANT -- BRINGING IN SUMMER TO THE BRIDAL -- MAGIC AS IMAGINATION: THE IRONIC WIT -- MOONLIGHT AND MOONSHINE: THE IRONIC BURLESQUE -- THE SENSE OF REALITY -- SEVEN: THE MERCHANTS AND THE JEW OF VENICE: WEALTH'S COMMUNION AND AN INTRUDER -- MAKING DISTINCTIONS ABOUT THE USE OF RICHES -- TRANSCENDING RECKONING AT BELMONT -- COMICAL/MENACING MECHANISM IN SHYLOCK -- THE COMMUNITY SETTING ASIDE ITS MACHINERY -- SHARING IN THE GRACE OF LIFE -- EIGHT: RULE AND MISRULE IN HENRY IV -- MINGLING KINGS AND CLOWNS -- GETTING RID OF BAD LUCK BY COMEDY -- THE TRIAL OF CARNIVAL IN PART TWO -- NINE: THE ALLIANCE OF SERIOUSNESS AND LEVITY IN AS YOU LIKE IT -- THE LIBERTY OF ARDEN -- COUNTERSTATEMENTS -- "ALL NATURE IN LOVE MORTAL IN FOLLY" -- TEN: TESTING COURTESY AND HUMANITY IN TWELFTH NIGHT -- "A MOST EXTRACTING FRENZY".

"YOU ARE BETROTH'D BOTH TO A MAID AND MAN" -- LIBERTY TESTING COURTESY -- OUTSIDE THE GARDEN GATE -- INDEX.