<I>The Soul of Athens: Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"</I> studies Shakespeare's portrayal of the founding of Athens through a close reading of one of the Bard's most memorable comedies. Coupling careful attention to detail with interpretive breadth, <I>The Soul of Athens</I> examines the nature of love, the natural doubleness of human thinking and the ambiguous relation of image and reality, as well as patriarchy and democracy, and heroic and moral virtue.