Monthly Archives: December 2011

Mourning at the closing of the year

Shakespeare often idealised brotherhood: not just as a literal bond of blood, but also as a relationship of close trust and love. In his own life Shakespeare was one of eight siblings. Infant mortality took its toll, two sisters dying as … Continue reading

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Word of mouth: talking about Shakespeare

You’ve unwrapped all the presents, eaten and drunk far too much, and you’ve spent all your money in the sales. There are still a few days to go before New Year’s Eve, and if you can’t stand the radio and … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and the birds at Christmas

There’s no doubt that Shakespeare loved the birds he saw and heard around him. He refers time and again to their behaviour, and particularly their song. Romeo and Juliet disagree over whether they hear larks or nightingales, in Macbeth, the … Continue reading

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A view of Christmas

Christmas Day is always a time for looking back at the year that’s ending and forward with hope.  I’ve known this picture of Christmas celebrations in an English village all my life as it used to hang in my parents’ … Continue reading

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Celebrating Christmas with the Royal Shakespeare Company

At Christmas, the RSC traditionally gets into party mood by putting on a special show. This year the company has two: Matilda in London, after its successful premiere in Stratford last year, and The Heart of Robin Hood, at the … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s Christmas through the eyes of the Victorians

This year I’ve received a Christmas card featuring an engraving dating back to 1846, originally published to illustrate “A Story about a Christmas in the seventeenth century”*. It’s a charming picture, but one thing is certain: Christmas in the seventeenth … Continue reading

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Elizabethan Christmas: carols

Now we’re getting really near to Christmas, let’s have some music to get us in the mood. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titania contrasts the long summer evenings with the cosiness of winter round the fire: The human mortals want … Continue reading

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Lawyers inspiring Shakespeare

Among the beautiful Tudor portraits at the National Portrait Gallery is this one of a dignified elder stateman, Thomas Sackville, painted around 1601 by J de Critz the Elder. The label, as well as detailing his role in government, mentions … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and suicide: George Chakravarthi’s Thirteen

An exhibition on the subject of suicide doesn’t sound very suitable for the festive season, but George Chakravarthi’s Thirteen, currently at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, is no ordinary exhibition. The artist became interested in how the perception of … Continue reading

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The RSC’s golden years: Terry Hands and Alan Howard

What better way to end the RSC’s season of events celebrating the Company’s 50th anniversary than with a discussion between two people who for many epitomised the RSC during the 1970s and early 1980s? On Saturday morning Greg Doran hosted … Continue reading

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