Peter Hall is one of the most significant and influential directors of Shakespeares work of modern times. Through both his own work and the management of two national theatre companies the National Theatre and the RSC Hall has promoted Shakespeare as a writer who can comment incisively on the modern world. His best productions exemplified this approach Coriolanus 1959 The Wars of the Roses 1963 and Hamlet1965 established his reputation as a director able to bring Shakespeare to the heart of contemporary politics. However Halls career has been very varied and sometimes his critical failures are as interesting as his successes. The book explores Halls work as a deliberate articulation of Shakespeare and national culture in the postwar years. The main focus is on his Shakespeare work but critical attention is also given to nonShakespearean productions notably his 1955 Waiting for Godot and his relationship with Samuel Beckett in general and his 2000 Tantalus and his work with John Barton placing Halls work in its cultural and creative context. Setting Halls work against the postwar development of national culture the book explores how his work with other writers and artists including Beckett Pinter and Barton informed his approach to directing as well as his rehearsal methods and his approach to Shakespeares text.