He is known for his approach to Shakespeare's work, in which he discusses the dynamism of the playwright's language, its psychological effects and the actorly and bodily decisions generated by word-use.
Bate could think 'of no critic since Empson who has teased out so much so lucidly and (usually) so persuasively from the intricacies of Shakespearean language.
"[4] Palfrey's earlier book, Late Shakespeare: A New World of Worlds was described by Ann Jennalie Cook as 'among the most significant books of the year', 'a sweeping vision of these plays' language...indispensable for its subject', and as "a valuable contribution to the political reading of Renaissance literary forms" which challenged the traditional reading of Shakespeare's four romances.
"[6] Palfrey's 2007 collaboration with theatre historian Tiffany Stern, Shakespeare in Parts, was awarded the 2009 Medieval and Renaissance Drama Society's David Bevington Prize for best new book.
Palfrey's latest work is a collaborative novel written with fellow Shakespeare scholar Ewan Fernie.