• Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Rhetoric of Politeness: 1. Politeness and dramatic character in Henry VIII; 2. 'Power to hurt': language and service in Sidney household letters and Shakespeare's sonnets; Part II. Eloquent Relations in Letters: 3. Scripting social relations in Erasmus and Day; 4. Reading courtly and administrative letters; 5. Linguistic stratification, merchant discourse, and social change; Part III. A Prosaics of Conversation: 6. The pragmatics of repair in King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing; 7. 'Voice potential': language and symbolic capital in Othello; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

"In this learned three-part study, Magnusson...employs linguistic criticism and new historicism to create a new understanding of Shakespearean dialogue in terms of the social and class relationships expressed in the speech forms of the culture. Highly readable prose and sociolinguistic insights make this book essential reading for graduate students, faculty, and theater professionals." F.K. Barasch, Choice

• Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Rhetoric of Politeness: 1. Politeness and dramatic character in Henry VIII; 2. 'Power to hurt': language and service in Sidney household letters and Shakespeare's sonnets; Part II. Eloquent Relations in Letters: 3. Scripting social relations in Erasmus and Day; 4. Reading courtly and administrative letters; 5. Linguistic stratification, merchant discourse, and social change; Part III. A Prosaics of Conversation: 6. The pragmatics of repair in King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing; 7. 'Voice potential': language and symbolic capital in Othello; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

"In this learned three-part study, Magnusson...employs linguistic criticism and new historicism to create a new understanding of Shakespearean dialogue in terms of the social and class relationships expressed in the speech forms of the culture. Highly readable prose and sociolinguistic insights make this book essential reading for graduate students, faculty, and theater professionals." F.K. Barasch, Choice

• Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Rhetoric of Politeness: 1. Politeness and dramatic character in Henry VIII; 2. 'Power to hurt': language and service in Sidney household letters and Shakespeare's sonnets; Part II. Eloquent Relations in Letters: 3. Scripting social relations in Erasmus and Day; 4. Reading courtly and administrative letters; 5. Linguistic stratification, merchant discourse, and social change; Part III. A Prosaics of Conversation: 6. The pragmatics of repair in King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing; 7. 'Voice potential': language and symbolic capital in Othello; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

"In this learned three-part study, Magnusson...employs linguistic criticism and new historicism to create a new understanding of Shakespearean dialogue in terms of the social and class relationships expressed in the speech forms of the culture. Highly readable prose and sociolinguistic insights make this book essential reading for graduate students, faculty, and theater professionals." F.K. Barasch, Choice