Category Archives: Plays and Poems

The making of the First Folio

I wrote a week or so ago about Emma Smith’s new book The Making of Shakespeare’s First Folio, published by Bodleian Library Publishing, and the stories relating to the Bodleian Library’s own copy. One of the books I inherited from … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Pumpkins and cabbages: vegetables in Shakespeare’s Windsor

At the end of the growing season the shops are full of produce, with onions, pumpkins and other vegetables in store for the winter. As the harvest hymn has it, “all is safely gathered in /ere the winter storms begin”. … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering the Battle of Agincourt

The 600th anniversary of one of the most famous British military victories is being celebrated this month. The actual date is the 25th October 1415, the event the Battle of Agincourt when Henry V, with an outnumbered and outclassed army, … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is King John Shakespeare’s most unloved play?

This weekend the Globe’s production of King John (co-produced with Royal & Derngate, Northampton, directed by James Dacre), closes. It’s the very last play in the canon to be produced by the Globe (though it has been staged there).  This … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Julie Taymor’s phantasmagoric film of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Julie Taymor’s film of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was released in the UK, perhaps predictably, on Sunday 21 June 2015. And from the trailer, it looks amazing (see the end of this post). As a director she’s worked around the world … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Anticipating Macbeth on film

It doesn’t often happen that a Shakespeare film is dubbed “The “Most Anticipated Film” of the year, but this is how the adaptation of Macbeth directed by Justin Kurzel and starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard has been described. The … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

New Shakespeare MOOC

I’ve only recently heard about a new Shakespeare MOOC that has just started  so you still have time to sign up if you want to join in. As with all MOOCs the course is free. It’s called Shakespeare in Community, … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on New Shakespeare MOOC

Shakespeare’s undiscovered play?

A few days ago I read the announcement that a new play by Shakespeare had been discovered. Well don’t get too excited because this is another bit of research looking at the Cardenio/Double Falsehood issue. I wrote a summary of … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The mystery of Mr W H

The headline read: “Has the mystery of Shakespeare’s sonnets finally been solved?” My thought was – which one? The sonnets are puzzling in many ways. Do they tell  a real story, or are they purely fictional? What order were they … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The mystery of Mr W H

Shakespeare, King John and Magna Carta in 2015

Listening to Melvyn Bragg’s series on Radio 4 celebrating the history of Magna Carta, 800 this year, I realise how little I know about the document and the historical background to Shakespeare’s play King John. By the end of 2015 … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare, King John and Magna Carta in 2015