Starting with Ann Shakespeare, the wife of the great playwright about whom very little is known, Germaine Greer examines the image and position of women in 16th century England.

By combining literature with historical methodology and testimonies about life in Stratford, she places the story of Shakespeare's marriage in its social context. The assumptions about the life of the farmer's daughter who married the greatest poet of Great Britain are not at all flattering, even though she stood by his side.

Moreover, the omission of her name from Shakespeare's will has been interpreted as evidence that, from the author’s perspective, this marriage was a terrible mistake. However, Shakespeare himself presents the finding of a worthy wife as a triumphant outcome in his works.

Using many excerpts from his work as well as the work of various scholars, the author sheds light on the particular moments of Shakespeare's life while providing countless pieces of information about the social life of the time.

The arguments put forth in the book are clearly bold, but within a carefully researched framework, they seem less unlikely than the various biases of Shakespearean scholars.