Category Archives: Plays and Poems

Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 7: Holy Trinity Church

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

Anyone visiting Stratford interested in places associated with Shakespeare will be aware that the parish church where he worshipped is a good 15 minutes walk from Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Why is Stratford’s church on the outskirts of the town, and on … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare and the French

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

Today has been Bastille Day, and a day for thinking about Shakespeare in France. Shakespeare’s Globe has been running a competition on Twitter regarding which of his plays Shakespeare set in France. The question isn’t as simple as it appears. … Continue reading →

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The News of the World and Shakespeare’s Venice #NOTW

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

On the evening the News of the World’s closure was announced, I went to Rupert Goold’s RSC production of The Merchant of Venice. During the interval a friend and I wondered which of Shakespeare’s plays was most relevant to the … Continue reading →

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor: Shakespeare’s Lost Years

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

This week’s Start the Week on BBC Radio 4, broadcast on 4 July, asked how much we need to know about writers’ lives in order to fully appreciate their works. Contributors included a specialist on the medieval poet Dante and … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare and honour in All’s Well That Ends Well

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

  All’s Well That Ends Well  has recently been described as “one of Shakespeare’s least loved and least performed comedies” (Daily Telegraph) but with current productions at both the Globe Theatre in London and in New York’s Central Park as … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 5: was Shakespeare an angler?

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

The River Avon is the centre of attention for visitors to Stratford this weekend, with the Stratford River Festival  entertaining people with lots of  events on and by the water. It probably won’t be the best weekend though for those wanting … Continue reading →

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Kevin Spacey as Richard III, the “cunning, conniving, charismatic king”

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

One of this summer’s hottest theatre tickets will be Kevin Spacey’s performance as Shakespeare’s most famous villain Richard III, currently previewing at the Old Vic in London.  In a Radio interview with Spacey and his director, Sam Mendes it’s clear … Continue reading →

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Greatest Shakespeare speeches in performance

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

    When I put up my list of top ten Shakespeare speeches I promised a second set of speeches which I associate with a particular performance.    My list provided a great subject for discussion during a long walk … Continue reading →

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Macbeth: what happens next?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

So what does happen after the end of Macbeth? For Shakespeare, needing a politically-acceptable conclusion, the answer was straightforward, Malcolm filling the vacuum left by the death of the tyrant and his queen.  David Greig, in his new play Dunsinane, has … Continue reading →

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: lost in the forest

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

It’s the longest day of the year, a time when our ancestors believed the supernatural came particularly close to the human. So where does Shakespeare set his play where, on Midsummer night, the world as we know it gets turned … Continue reading →

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