Among the advantages of online scholarly publication is the freedom of journals like PsyArt to assemble “Special Issues” on topics of particular interest, without restrictions of time and space. These “Special Issues” can be published whenever appropriate material has been vetted by peer review, and electronic publication can accommodate materials of virtually any length. On occasion, PsyArt has grouped together essays on special topics, such as trauma, and in 2001, we published our first “e-book,” on “Metaphor and Psychoanalysis.” Papers on Shakespeare have appeared regularly in PsyArt. In late 2004, a number of new submissions on Shakespeare had arrived, and the editors decided to call for additional Shakespeare papers for a “Special Issue” in 2005.

In January, I sent a CFP to over 1000 subscribers to the Psyart discussion list and to several other online lists and received over two dozen submissions before the deadline of May 1st. All of the Shakespeare papers were sent to two peer reviewers who were asked to select those they felt most worthy of publication. In keeping with PsyArt’s publication policy, only those papers selected by both reviews were chosen for this “Special Issue.” The result is the collection presented here. As the collection’s editor, I am pleased to make these varied examples of the continuing vitality of psychoanalytic commentary on Shakespeare available to a world-wide audience.