Considering the close associations of service and patronage with childhood or youth, marriage and friendship, Judith Weil sheds new light on social practice and dramatic action in Shakespeare"s plays. Approached as dynamic explorations of a familiar custom, the plays demonstrate a surprising consciousness of obligations, and fascination with how dependants actively affect each other. Weil also emphasizes the linguistic ambiguities created by service relationships. The book includes detailed studies of dramatic sequences in twelve plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew and King Lear.