The introduction outlines the collection's approach to Shakespeare and the study of space, giving an overview of work previously done in the field and offering a taxonomy of notions of space as a theoretical basis for the detailed treatments in the individual essays: (1) structural/topological space, (2) stage space/setting/locality, (3) linguistic/poetic space, (4) social/gendered space, (5) early modern geographies, (6) cultural spaces/contact zones, and (7) the material world/cultural imaginary. The Shakespearean stage is conceived as a topological "node", or interface between different times, places and people—an approach which also invokes Edward Soja's notion of "Thirdspace" to describe the blend between the real and the imaginary characteristic of Shakespeare's multifaceted theatrical world. The introduction finishes with a concise summary of the essays in the volume.