Tag Archives: spring

The end of “churlish winter’s tyranny”: February in Shakespeare’s Stratford

Not many people are sorry to see the end of February, and with it the end of meteorological winter. If we’re lucky it’s also the end of what Shakespeare called “churlish winter’s tyranny”. In Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick is … Continue reading

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Easter at Anne Hathaway’s in lockdown

Describing Easter, Nicholas Breton in Fastasticks wrote “There is mirth and job where there is health and liberty…I conclude it is a day of much delightfulness: the sun’s dancing day and the Earth’s holiday”. It’s also a time of hope … Continue reading

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Wordsworth, Shakespeare and nature in time of crisis

7 April 2020 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth. Since most of the world entered into lockdown, short walks have become our only distraction, and we have been taking more notice of the natural world. David … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and National Gardening Week

The first of May seems to have been one of Shakespeare’s favourite days. In Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice is compared with her cousin Hero : she “exceeds her as much in beauty as the first of May doth the … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s spring

One of the greatest pleasures of spring in England is watching life returning over weeks or even months, beginning in gardens and parks with the blooming of snowdrops, moving on to daffodils, apple blossom and bluebells, to the mighty trees, … Continue reading

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The power of poetry

In the last few months I’ve been finding it hard to concentrate on Shakespeare: it’s all seemed trivial compared with the important issues that confront us like deciding how England relates to the other countries of the UK, Europe and … Continue reading

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Springtime in Stratford with Shakespeare and Chaucer

This year, 2017, the blossom trees in Stratford-upon-Avon seem to me to be even more glorious than ever, and Easter has come at just the right time to enjoy the spectacle at its finest. It always seems a pity that … Continue reading

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Stratford-upon-Avon springing into action for the big day

The last few days in Stratford-upon-Avon have been warm and sunny, but with a chilly wind reminding us that winter’s not quite lost its grip yet. In anticipation of the big day on Saturday many preparations are in hand and it’s … Continue reading

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Wordsworth and Shakespeare

7 April 2015 was the 345th birthday of William Wordsworth, the Romantic poet most closely associated with nature, and one of England’s greatest writers. Like Shakespeare, houses associated with Wordsworth have been turned into literary shrines, though Shakespeare’s birthplace was … Continue reading

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Shakespeare and Easter

Over the Easter weekend we’ve probably all eaten too many Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. As the first festival of spring, it’s also traditionally our first opportunity for getting outdoors after the cold, dark days of winter, when we enjoy the return … Continue reading

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