Monthly Archives: July 2011

Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 8: Sweet Swan of Avon

Ben Jonson’s memorial poem to Shakespeare published seven years after his death in the First Folio contains lines which famously link Shakespeare to the River Avon and to the magnificent birds that live on it. Sweet Swan of Avon! What … Continue reading

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Shakespeare, portraits, and finding the mind’s construction in the face

Last week I spent some time admiring a group of portraits now in the National Gallery, London, by the North Italian painter Moroni who lived from around 1520 to 1579. One is very well known. In The tailor the subject … Continue reading

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Catch some Shakespeare at a cinema near you

This summer’s going to be a good time to see some great Shakespeare productions, and you might be able to catch some of them without going any further than your local cinema. The idea of screening live or recorded theatre … Continue reading

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O power, what art thou in a madman’s eyes

Any other weekend, the death of singer Amy Winehouse would have been enough to brand it as her family have, “this terrible time”, but over the last few days the unfolding national tragedy in Norway has stolen the headlines, all … Continue reading

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Was Shakespeare a soldier?

The one-man play Being Shakespeare is just reaching the end of its run at the Trafalgar Studios. It’s a real tour de force by distinguished actor Simon Callow who switches effortlessly from narrative to speeches from Shakespeare’s plays, bringing characters … Continue reading

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World Shakespeare Congress putting a girdle round about the earth #wsc #wscPrague

    The biggest meeting of Shakespeare scholars for five years is taking place in Prague this week, 17-22 July. The theme of the World Shakespeare Congress is Renaissance Shakespeare, Shakespeare renaissances, and the conference is undergoing its own renaissance as … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 7: Holy Trinity Church

Anyone visiting Stratford interested in places associated with Shakespeare will be aware that the parish church where he worshipped is a good 15 minutes walk from Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Why is Stratford’s church on the outskirts of the town, and on … Continue reading

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#Shakespeare4Murdoch #Hackgate

For a time on Saturday afternoon the hashtag #Shakespeare4Murdoch was the leading trend on twitter. Tweeters quoted appropriate bits of Shakespeare or adjusted a line or two to suit what’s become known as Hackgate. Here are a few examples: Remorse, … Continue reading

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Jane Austen and Shakespeare “blotting their papers”

It’s been an exciting few days for anyone interested in manuscript versions of literary works. At Sotheby’s on 14 July a large number of magnificent manuscripts written by some of the most famous names of English literature was auctioned. Items … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and the French

Today has been Bastille Day, and a day for thinking about Shakespeare in France. Shakespeare’s Globe has been running a competition on Twitter regarding which of his plays Shakespeare set in France. The question isn’t as simple as it appears. … Continue reading

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