This dissertation examines songs in Shakespeare’s oeuvre and shows that they extend his dramas in various ways: they point beyond the end of the dramatic plot; they adumbrate the image-world of lovers’ fantasies, often opposed to the world of the drama; they offer a glimpse into the hidden subjectivity of tragic women; they imply a single, musical world shared among the different plays. Against a host of critical trends which distance Shakespeare’s songs from their plays, I argue that the former should be understood as essential to the latter. My hope is that this project persuades scholars, directors, readers, and audience members to attend seriously to the connections between songs and their plays.