Monthly Archives: November 2015

Shakespeare in trouble with the law

On the whole, Shakespeare kept out of trouble. He got his girlfriend pregnant, and didn’t always pay his taxes, but compared with the violence of the lives of his contemporaries Marlowe, Kyd and Jonson, his was uneventful and that was … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare in trouble with the law

Harley Granville Barker, Shakespeare and the theatre

25 November is the birthday of the great man of the theatre, Harley Granville Barker. Barker was born in 1877 and in 2009 Richard Eyre proclaimed him his hero and “the father of modern British theatre”. Barker’s talents were many. … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Harley Granville Barker, Shakespeare and the theatre

Reinterpreting Shakespeare – again

In 2013 Downton Abbey author Julian Fellowes was hauled over the coals for his film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, in which he rewrote large chunks of Shakespeare’s famous and much-loved play. His explanation just got him into more trouble: … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reinterpreting Shakespeare – again

Shakespeare and the London critics

There is still time to visit the exhibition at Dr Johnson’s house in London on Shakespeare in the 18th Century before it closes on 28 November. Although it’s primarily about Johnson’s edition of Shakespeare’s works, I was particularly interested in … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare and the London critics

Shakespeare and the Pre-Raphaelites

In the mid nineteenth-century a group of young artists joined together with the aim of challenging the practices of the Royal Academy, wishing to paint serious subjects using the art of the middle ages and great works of literature as … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The men who gave us Shakespeare

While visiting London recently we went in search of a relatively little-known Shakespeare monument. It’s the memorial to John Heminges and Henry Condell just around the back of the Guild Hall. It stands in what used to be the churchyard … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The tale of “Shakespeare’s skull”

In writing posts for this blog I’ve looked at lots of the myths surrounding Shakespeare’s life. They cover almost every aspect of his life: who he married, and where, what he looked like, whether he was gay or straight, whether … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pericles onstage

On 13 November 2015, for the first time since its opening in 1992, Pericles is to be staged at the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC. The production premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in February 2015 and after its season … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pericles onstage

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

BBC Theatre Month now on

On Saturday 31 October 2015  the BBC screened a new adaptation of Ronald Harwood’s play The Dresser, famously made into a film. It tells the story of one fateful night in a provincial repertory theatre during World War 2, and … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on BBC Theatre Month now on