Tag Archives: Hamlet

Walking for Shakespeare: Nine Day’s Wonder

Walking for fun’s not a concept that would have been understood in Shakespeare’s day, and the sponsored walk would have been an even more alien idea. Walking was a necessity, and when Shakespeare left Stratford for London as a young … Continue reading

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Stephen Fry and the English language

Stephen Fry has just reached the end of his five-part series Fry’s Planet Word, in praise of the English language. Saving the best until last Fry looked at English story-telling through poetry, drama, fiction and even songwriting. It’s available now on … Continue reading

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Shakespearian stars 3: John Gielgud as Hamlet

If asked to name the greatest Hamlet of the mid-twentieth century most people would suggest Laurence Olivier. It was, though John Gielgud who received more critical acclaim and who, for people alive at the time, was most closely associated with … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s plays in his lifetime: the Cambridge Conference

One of the sessions in the recent Cambridge Shakespeare Conference was on Shakespeare’s Plays in his Lifetime. Frustratingly little is known about the performance of Shakespeare’s plays and how they were originally received so I looked forward to hearing from people … Continue reading

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Time and the gilded galleon

A visit to the British Museum is always a great reminder of the ingenuity, skill and imagination of the human race over thousands of years and in all parts of the world. In all areas of endeavour there are people … Continue reading

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Disorder, riot, and unweeded gardens

 Bill Bratton, the supercop who’s credited with successfully cutting gang crime in New York and Los Angeles, is going to be consulted by the UK prime minister about how to solve the issue of the recent riots in English cities. … Continue reading

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I’ll write it straight: The Catalogue of English Literary Manuscripts 1450-1700

This is the second post looking at the subjects raised by the 29 July conference launching the new online Catalogue of English Literary Manuscripts 1450-1700.   The first paper was contributed by the prolific writer and academic Germaine Greer. Ever since the publication of … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s Avon, Act 7: Holy Trinity Church

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

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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Macbeth: what happens next?

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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