Category Archives: Legacy

Shakespeare and the Paralympics

We’re now into the Paralympics, and once again Shakespeare is a highlight of the cultural celebrations. The pop-up Shakespeare project is bringing fifty actors including some who are deaf or disabled onto the streets of London. Performing extracts of speeches … Continue reading

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Remembering Shakespeare on stage

Remember thee! Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat In this distracted globe. When the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened in 1879 it was designed to be both a memorial to Shakespeare and a living breathing theatre. Among the … Continue reading

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The rule of law: Anders Breivik and Richard III

This morning the court in Norway has ruled that Anders Behring Breivik, the killer of 77 Norwegians last summer, is sane. He will be sent to high-security prison from where he hopes to be able to argue that his views … Continue reading

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Sight and blindness in Shakespeare

One of the most striking items discussed in the BBC’s radio series Shakespeare’s Restless World earlier this year is the reliquary containing the eye of an executed Jesuit priest. It appealed in a number of ways: its gruesome history, the … Continue reading

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O this learning, what a thing it is!

Last week the biennial International Shakespeare Conference was held at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. With only space for two hundred and thirty, places are strictly limited. Now technology is being used to open this exclusive conference up to anyone … Continue reading

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Opening the Olympics: Danny Boyle’s debt to William Blake

Danny Boyle’s Olympic opening ceremony has set off so much discussion that John Wyver of Illuminations has now posted three blog posts each listing ten different pieces that have appeared in the press looking at the event from different viewpoints. Here’s the … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and the Olympic arts of war

Although all sport is competitive, many of those which feature in the modern Olympics began as a way of training for warfare. Shakespeare brings several of them into his plays, including wrestling, archery and fencing. Self-defence sports wrestling and boxing date back to … Continue reading

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Shakespearean voices

I’ve written several times about how much I love hearing Shakespeare spoken well, but what exactly does that mean? There are many aspects to speaking Shakespeare, and theatre companies now employ specialist voice coaches to help actors deal with the challenges. … Continue reading

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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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