Category Archives: Shakespeare’s World

Making a statement with tapestry in Tudor England

Watching part of the BBC’s current Tudor season I was enjoying the first part of Jonathan Foyle’s examination of  Henry’s rule: Henry VIII: patron or plunderer when he got to the tapestries decorating Hampton Court Palace. The expert commented that … Continue reading

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The Mary Rose Museum: open at last

Do you remember what you were doing on 11 October 1982? It’s a day which I remember vividly. There was going to be live coverage on the TV of the raising of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship, which had … Continue reading

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Shakespeare in London, dodging taxes and multiculturalism

It may no longer be the Year of Shakespeare but there’s no shortage of events and exhibitions on offer quite apart from performances of his plays. Coming soon, at the London Metropolitan Archives, is a free exhibition focusing on Shakespeare … Continue reading

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Science versus alchemy

The BBC’s series The Genius of Invention carried on, this week with a major documentary on the greatest of scientists, Isaac Newton . But the documentary revealed a more complicated side to Newton: not just the logical man who made … Continue reading

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From crumhorns to waterphone: Music for Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s use of music is always a popular subject, but just now it seems to be everywhere. Shakespeare’s Globe is hosting a conference on Shakespeare, music and performance from 3-5 May, which will include input from major academics as well … Continue reading

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Shakespeare at New Place: making the house a home

You can tell a lot, can’t you, about people from the inside of their houses, and what they choose to put there?  The TV programme Through the Keyhole is jokily based on the idea that it’s possible to deduce the … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s silly sheep: the royal connections

This week’s TV programme Countryfile was guest edited by the Prince of Wales, giving him the opportunity to explore issues about the countryside and farming that are close to his heart. The prince is also a great lover of Shakespeare, … Continue reading

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Richard III: the story continues

The story of the discovery of the skeleton of Richard III in Leicester is, you can tell, going to run and run. On Wednesday 27 February at 9pm the More4 TV Channel screens another documentary, Richard III: the Unseen Story. The earlier … Continue reading

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Shakespeare, Brecht and Galileo

  The RSC are currently staging Bertolt Brecht’s play A Life of Galileo in a new translation by Mark Ravenhill. To accompany this play they have put on two events about Shakespeare and Science under the title ShakesSphere. The second … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and the bawdy court of Stratford

After reading about the government of the town in Shakespeare’s day as revealed in Mulryne’s book The Guild and Guild Buildings of Shakespeare’s Stratford I decided to find out more about a related subject, the Ecclesiastical Court which was held … Continue reading

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