Monthly Archives: July 2012

Shakespeare’s quill

Many traditions and myths relating to Shakespeare have built up in the almost four centuries since his death. As part of the celebrations for Shakespeare’s birthday this year the tradition of placing a new quill pen in the hand of the … Continue reading

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Stratford to Stratford: Opening the Olympics with Shakespeare

At last the London Olympics are about to begin. It’s estimated that a billion people worldwide will watch the opening ceremony on Friday 27 July. No pressure then on film director Danny Boyle, its creator. Clues about the ceremony have … Continue reading

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John Taylor, the water poet

John Taylor, known as the Water-Poet, was one of the characters of Elizabethan and Jacobean London. On 25 July 1622 he undertook an impressive publicity stunt, attempting to row down the Thames from London to the Isle of Sheppey in … Continue reading

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Here come the girls: women directors at the Royal Shakespeare Company

  Outgoing Artistic Director Michael Boyd recently announced his last planned season for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013. In an interview he stated that “The theme of the season is heroines”, as several of the plays feature dominant women, … Continue reading

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Robert Southwell

While browsing in Michael Wood’s book In Search of Shakespeare I found one of those possible Shakespeare references that you’d just love to be true. It relates to the Jesuit Robert Southwell. Born and brought up in England, he first … Continue reading

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David Tennant’s Hamlet and screening Shakespeare on TV

Tucked away on the BBC2 TV schedule at 11.20 on Tuesday evening is the last of the Shakespeare Uncovered series, David Tennant on Hamlet. Not only does it feature David Tennant, whose own Hamlet for the RSC in 2008 was … Continue reading

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Peter O’Toole’s Shakespeare

The actor Peter O’Toole has recently announced his retirement from stage and screen, shortly before his 80th birthday. His reason? “The heart for it has gone out of me: it won’t come back.” It occurred to me that it’s unusual … Continue reading

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Stratford’s French connection: the Gower Memorial

For Bastille Day, a post about a much-loved monument that originated in France. If you’ve ever visited Stratford-upon-Avon the chances are you’ve seen the Gower Memorial, even if only from the window of a bus. It now sits alongside the main … Continue reading

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Lives of Shakespeare

For a man about whom we are supposed to know next to nothing, an awful lot of books have been written about Shakespeare’s life. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece about Nicholas Fogg’s new biography of Shakespeare, … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s Birthplace: a shrine to the Victorians

What is the best way to commemorate the life of a writer? Why do we so often treasure the houses they lived in, and what do we hope to get out of visiting them? There have been a number of … Continue reading

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