Tag Archives: winter

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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Winter stories at Charlecote

December isn’t the coldest month of the year, but it’s the darkest, with days getting progressively shorter most of the month. Earlier this week I visited Charlecote Park, the stately home near Stratford-upon-Avon, and couldn’t help thinking how much the lack … Continue reading

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Old December’s bareness everywhere

It’s December and winter is definitely on the way. Heavy snow has already been causing chaos in the USA, and in the UK we are bracing ourselves for violent storms.  In Stratford the ways are certainly foul with mud and … Continue reading

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Shakespeare’s blasts of January

When icicles hang by the wall And Dick the shepherd blows his nail And Tom bears logs into the hall And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring … Continue reading

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The legend of Herne’s Oak

The Merry Wives of Windsor is set in the depth of winter, the season Shakespeare associates with eating, drinking, telling stories, singing, and practical jokes. It’s also  one of the few plays for which Shakespeare invented the plot, and he … Continue reading

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Barren winter and the seasons’ difference

Until a few days ago it looked as if we were getting the “hot January” which Beatrice claims to be so unlikely, the weather has been so mild.  On a country walk near Stratford last week we cast off scarves … Continue reading

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