Author Archives: Sylvia Morris

King Charles III, Shakespeare, and coronations

We are as sure as we can be that Shakespeare experienced the coronation of King James 1. In his pamphlet The Time Triumphant Gilbert Dugdale described the triumphal procession in London on 15 March 1604, which included the King’s Men … Continue reading

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Thomas Hardy inspired by Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon

On 14 February 2023 the members of the Shakespeare Club of Stratford-upon-Avon met for a real treat of a lecture. Roger Pringle, former director of the SBT, and for many years Director of Stratford’s Poetry Festival, talked about his lockdown … Continue reading

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Hilary Mantel

On Thursday 22 September 2022 the great British writer Hilary Mantel died unexpectedly. The many tributes have spoken about her gifts as a writer, about her intelligence, her humour, and about the new books that she still planned to write. There … Continue reading

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“The long day’s task is done, and we must sleep”

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II today, 8 September 2022, we’re now going to live through something that few British people alive can remember as a new monarch succeeds to the throne. Tributes are flooding in, crowds carrying flowers … Continue reading

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First Folios for sale

  On 7 July 2022 a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio will be sold in New York. It’s estimated that it will sell for “only” $2.5 million. The record-holder is the copy sold, again in New York, in October 2020 … Continue reading

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A sad farewell to Peter Brook

The death at the age of 97 of the great theatre director Peter Brook has been announced today, 3 July 2022. He burst on the theatre scene at the age of 20 in 1946, coming from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre … Continue reading

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A statue for Aphra Behn in Canterbury

The city of Canterbury has many literary connections. It’s the end-point for Chaucer’s pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, the setting for the murder of Thomas a Becket as dramatized by TS Eliot in Murder in the Cathedral, and the birthplace … Continue reading

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The Princes in the Tower: new evidence

Shakespeare’s play Richard III has always been one of his most popular dramas. And no wonder: it features a compelling protagonists in a great story. Many people accept Shakespeare’s version of the history of the end of the Plantagenet and … Continue reading

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Music and dancing for Queen Elizabeth

We’re just reaching the end of the merry month of May, and about to embark on a weekend of celebrations for the Platinum Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. Events, many of them outdoors, will be taking … Continue reading

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Celebrating Gregory Doran and Sir Antony Sher

The day before Shakespeare’s Birthday, 22 April 2022, Gregory Doran announced that he was standing down from his post as Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He’s held it for 10 years, a period of political unrest with issues … Continue reading

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