Mr. Greenblatt talked about his book Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, published by W.W. Norton and Company. He described England during Shakespeare’s time and discussed how the period’s religious and social conflicts shaped Shakespeare’s work. He discussed techniques for teaching Shakespeare, the importance of Shakespeare for students of English, and the evolving place Shakespeare occupies in the literary canon. He spoke about William Shakespeare’s life and spoke about the circumstances that prompted him to write plays like Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice.