Shakespeare’s Conrad is now an ambitious ‘story producer’. With an eye over all the ‘Nothing Island’ action, he seeds rumours that bloom into reality TV gold.
In the First Folio, 18 of Shakespeare’s plays were published for the first time. With its appeals to patronage and commerce, and praise of his wit, this iconic book preserved the playwright’s genius.
Predictions of the death of romantic comedy have been repeated over time. But it has been with us since before Shakespeare and is still very much alive and in constant transformation.
Shakespeare often portrayed crises of legitimacy and reflected on the politics of his day but the Tories might not fare so well in a modern production.
Behind the recent row over money for a school Shakespeare festival lies the bigger problem of theatre funding in general. Establishing a genuine national theatre could be the solution.
Stephen Frears’ film is adding to the furore surrounding Richard III, England’s most controversial king. New research examines what prompts such ferocious debate.
Andrew Newman, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)
An English professor takes a critical look at why today’s students are assigned the same books that were assigned decades ago – and why American school curricula are so difficult to change.
In 26 of his 38 plays, Shakespeare includes a war. Reading them, one is tempted to ask ‘when will we ever learn?’ rather than pronounce, ‘lest we forget’.
Hamlet, the tormented prince of Denmark, embodies our own struggles: between reason and violence, courage and inaction. He is a modern character in an endlessly quotable play.