Tag Archives: As You Like it

The end of a tradition: Charlecote’s deer and Nigel Playfair’s As You Like It

As You Like It was in the very first season of plays performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in April-May 1879. With its references to the Forest of Arden the gently romantic comedy was bound to please. The other Shakespeares … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage, Stratford-upon-Avon | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The end of a tradition: Charlecote’s deer and Nigel Playfair’s As You Like It

Sadness and the four humours in Shakespeare

The February 2014 meeting of the Stratford Shakespeare Club featured Dr Erin Sullivan, Lecturer and Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, speaking on Beyond Melancholy – Sadness and Selfhood in Renaissance England. Even her title was a reminder of how much … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sadness and the four humours in Shakespeare

Illuminating the seasons difference

On a miserable January afternoon I spent some time looking through some of the beautiful medieval illuminated manuscripts now available online. Just before the new year I had received a tweet including this calendar, each month represented by work done … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Illuminating the seasons difference

Shakespeare and the case for subsidy

I’ve only been away for a few days, but on return have found many Shakespeare-related stories to catch up on. There have been two major press nights, Othello at the National Theatre, As You Like It at the RSC. These … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare on Stage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare and the case for subsidy

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

Share
Posted in Plays and Poems, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Writing Britain at the British Library

When visiting other people’s houses, I always enjoy looking at their bookshelves to see what they like to read, and to keep. All my Shakespeare books are in the room where I work, while books on other favourite subjects are … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Shakespeare’s Christmas through the eyes of the Victorians

This year I’ve received a Christmas card featuring an engraving dating back to 1846, originally published to illustrate “A Story about a Christmas in the seventeenth century”*. It’s a charming picture, but one thing is certain: Christmas in the seventeenth … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare’s Christmas through the eyes of the Victorians

Shakespeare and the first actresses

The National Portrait Gallery in London’s new exhibition celebrates the careers of the earliest English professional actresses. Entitled The First Actresses: Nell Gwynn to Sarah Siddons it neatly documents womens’ increasing respectability in the world of the theatre. In Shakespeare’s … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Shakespeare on Stage, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shakespeare and the first actresses

Robin Hood and Shakespeare

A new play by David Farr, called The Heart of Robin Hood, is just about to open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The legend of Robin Hood is a great subject for the RSC as it was obviously a story … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Legacy, Shakespeare's World | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments