R. A. Foakes's latest book, Shakespeare and Violence, addresses an area of significant interest in Shakespeare studies. Foakes begins with a general discussion of the prevalence and persistence of violence in both life and literature. He then focuses on the evolution of Shakespeare's use of violence in his histories, tragedies, and romances. The result is a thought-provoking, well-written, and often genuinely interesting study of this subject and its manifestations in Shakespeare's plays.