Monthly Archives: May 2011

Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 2: The inspiration for Ophelia?

I’ve never had a lot of time for the myths and legends that surround Shakespeare’s life, many of which probably sprung up in order to satisfy the curiosity of visitors wanting to find out more about the man. I’ve always … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World, Stratford-upon-Avon | 8 Comments

Greatest Shakespeare speeches?

Thinking about my favourite Shakespeare speeches has been a pleasant diversion for a damp and blowy bank holiday weekend. It started when a neighbour kindly gave me a press cutting about Simon Callow’s new TV series on Sky Arts 1 … Continue reading

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Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Shakespeare and science fiction

It’s hardly surprising that Shakespeare’s play The Tempest has been used as the basis for science fiction. A ship and its crew are wrecked on a distant, mysterious island, populated only by a man with magical powers, several strange creatures who … Continue reading

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Shakespearian stars 1: Richard Burton as Henry V

This is the first in a series about actors and their greatest Shakespearian parts.  Henry V is a gift of a part for a young actor. It’s a varied role, particularly if  Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, which show … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Eating like Shakespeare

Can you imagine life without tea, coffee and perhaps most of all chocolate? We think of these as essentials, but all are derived from plants which can’t be grown in this country, and which only began to be imported after Shakespeare’s … Continue reading

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Posted in Shakespeare's World | 6 Comments

Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 1: Clopton Bridge

 This is the first of a series I’m going to be posting weekly on the subject of the River Avon and its connections with Shakespeare.   Clopton Bridge was built about 100 years before Shakespeare’s time by Sir Hugh Clopton, a … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s First Folio: “read him, … and again and again”

Shakespeare’s First Folio has been in the news again recently due to two new exhibitions featuring this most famous of books.  The Folger Shakespeare Library’s summer exhibition in Washington, DC, will be Fame, Fortune and Theft, looking at the book’s … Continue reading

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A rose by any other word

The scent of roses is in the air already this year. With whole gardens devoted to its many varieties, no flower has a closer association with summertime in England. As national flower, it also has a special link with the … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Staging The Merchant of Venice

John Nathan’s interesting article raises the old question whether The Merchant of Venice is too offensive to stage. I’m pleased that he comes down on the side of continuing to perform it, in spite of the discomfort it might cause … Continue reading

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Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The corruption of power

Political corruption was one of Shakespeare’s favourite subjects. You would expect to find it in tragedies like Hamlet and Richard III where power and its abuse are at the heart of the plot, but Shakespeare puts the subject of the … Continue reading

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Posted in Legacy, Plays and Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments