The historical context: an overview -- The Elizabethan world order: from divinity to dust -- Sin, death and the prince of darkness -- The seven cardinal virtues -- Kingship -- Patriarchy, family authority and gender relationships -- Man in his place -- Images of disorder: the religious context -- The context of education: nature versus nurture -- The contemporary political context -- Enchantment: the context of magic -- The context of colonialism and cannibalism: theft or duty? -- Literary context -- Tender patriarch or tyrant? the limits of authority -- The moral context: sins, virtues and transgressions