Category Archives: Legacy

Celebrating Shakespeare’s 451st birthday on both sides of the Atlantic

April is a special month for Shakespeare-lovers, as we celebrate both the birth and death of William Shakespeare in 1564 and 1616. The birthday is traditionally celebrated on the 23rd, three days before his baptism at Holy Trinity Church was … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s undiscovered play?

A few days ago I read the announcement that a new play by Shakespeare had been discovered. Well don’t get too excited because this is another bit of research looking at the Cardenio/Double Falsehood issue. I wrote a summary of … Continue reading

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Christopher Marlowe’s Jew of Malta

At the beginning of the RSC’s current production of Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta a young man, unacknowledged in the programme, bounds on stage and reveals beneath his jacket a T-shirt bearing the logo Royal Marlowe Company in the … Continue reading

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Wordsworth and Shakespeare

7 April 2015 was the 345th birthday of William Wordsworth, the Romantic poet most closely associated with nature, and one of England’s greatest writers. Like Shakespeare, houses associated with Wordsworth have been turned into literary shrines, though Shakespeare’s birthplace was … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and Easter

Over the Easter weekend we’ve probably all eaten too many Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. As the first festival of spring, it’s also traditionally our first opportunity for getting outdoors after the cold, dark days of winter, when we enjoy the return … Continue reading

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“The best bit of Shakespeareana ever penned” Washington Irving and Stratford

3rd April 1783 was the birthday of the great American writer Washington Irving,  one of the first tourists to Stratford-upon-Avon to describe his visit in detail. While living in England he made several visits to the town to see the sites … Continue reading

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Stratford’s alehouses: the Dirty Duck

In 1556 John Shakespeare’s first official appointment in Stratford was as ale-taster, requiring him to check the measures, prices and quality of beer provided by inn-keepers. As a market-town, Stratford always provided refreshment to visitors, locals and traders, and by … Continue reading

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Celebrating Shakespeare with Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Branagh is best known as one of his generation’s finest Shakespearean actors and directors for both stage and film, so his latest project, a sweetly traditional film of the fairy tale Cinderella, comes as something of a surprise. It … Continue reading

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Museums of the future, engaging with the past

This week, 23-29 March 2015, Museums have been celebrating Museums Week, and promoting their collections and services. By coincidence the big news for lovers of culture has been the reburial of the remains of King Richard III, making a strong … Continue reading

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Still looking for the truth about Richard III: who did kill the princes in the tower?

Like many thousands of others I visited Leicester on Monday 23 March 2015 to file past the coffined remains of Richard III before they are reinterred in the Cathedral on Thursday. People waited up to four hours, and many in … Continue reading

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