Category Archives: Shakespeare’s World

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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Unearthing Shakespeare: Good friend for Jesus sake forbear

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

Why is there such fascination with the idea of exhuming Shakespeare? People who want to do so always claim they will find something exciting out by doing so. The current crop of hopefuls, as recorded by the Stratford Herald, BBC … 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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Shakespeare’s fathers: nature or nurture?

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

It’s Father’s Day in the UK today, and the prime minister, David Cameron, is taking the opportunity to have a go at fathers who fail to take financial or emotional responsibility for their families. There are children growing up …who … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 4: river of life

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

The River Avon has always been of central importance to the town of Stratford and the area surrounding it. In Shakespeare’s day, it was an important artery for trade and a source of power (the mill is mentioned in the … Continue reading →

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Reading in Shakespeare’s England

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

While on holiday in the English Lake District earlier this year I visited Townend, an old farmhouse in the village of Troutbeck, now in the care of the National Trust.  It’s a rare survivor, a house lived in by the … Continue reading →

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More Ophelia contenders: Jane Shaxspere v. Katherine Hamlet and Margaret Clopton

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

Over the last couple of days Shakespeare’s inspiration for the death of Ophelia in Hamlet has provoked a surprising amount of media coverage. University of Oxford lecturer Dr Steven Gunn has been researching records of inquests at the National Archives, … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 2: The inspiration for Ophelia?

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

I’ve never had a lot of time for the myths and legends that surround Shakespeare’s life, many of which probably sprung up in order to satisfy the curiosity of visitors wanting to find out more about the man. I’ve always … Continue reading →

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Eating like Shakespeare

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

Can you imagine life without tea, coffee and perhaps most of all chocolate? We think of these as essentials, but all are derived from plants which can’t be grown in this country, and which only began to be imported after Shakespeare’s … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 1: Clopton Bridge

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Sylvia Morris

 This is the first of a series I’m going to be posting weekly on the subject of the River Avon and its connections with Shakespeare.   Clopton Bridge was built about 100 years before Shakespeare’s time by Sir Hugh Clopton, a … Continue reading →

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