Tag Archives: James Shapiro

Getting creative. Did Shakespeare write King Lear in lockdown?

When lockdown was first imposed, in March 2020, it was pointed out that Shakespeare had written King Lear while under lockdown himself during a period when the theatres were closed because of plague, in 1605-6. James Shapiro discusses this as … Continue reading

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Henry James and Shakespeare

28 February 2016 is the centenary of the death of the author Henry James. James was born in 1843 in New York but spent most of his adult life in Europe, particularly England. His early novels explore the conflicting cultures … Continue reading

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Shakespeare lost in translation?

A week or so ago the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the oldest and largest US Shakespeare festivals, announced they have commissioned “translations” of 39 Shakespeare plays into contemporary English in order to make them accessible to the public. I … Continue reading

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James Shapiro on Shakespeare in 1606

Back in 2005 James Shapiro published his book 1599, about a single year in Shakespeare’s life. According to Jonathan Bate, who reviewed it for the Telegraph, It was “one of the few genuinely original biographies of Shakespeare”, the year an … Continue reading

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“New-fangled shows”: Christmas and the Rose Theatre

Christmas must have been anything but relaxing for Shakespeare when he was at the height of his career. Instead of putting his feet up in front of a roaring fire with a warming drink in his hand, he was hard … Continue reading

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The mysterious Passionate Pilgrim and Shakespeare

I’ve been spending some time just recently re-reading James Shapiro’s great book 1599, which I strongly recommend if you haven’t already read it. It focuses on a single year, decisive in Shakespeare’s creative life as well being as the year … Continue reading

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Your actions are my dreams: Shakespeare and conspiracy

A week on Sunday it will be exactly ten years since the awful events of 9/11 in which thousands of people died and which sparked the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  On Monday it was revealed that a poll undertaken … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s many lives

It’s said we know next to nothing about Shakespeare’s life, yet new biographies are published every year. Is this because new facts are always being discovered? Sadly not, although every now and then an extra piece is added to the … Continue reading

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