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’.
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Articles on Shakespeare
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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.
It may have had something to do with protecting female purity. No official statute clearly required men to do all the acting back then.
After two years of COVID-delay, Bell Shakespeare’s Hamlet reflects both personal and global tragedies.
Disrupting and repositioning the traditional narratives of Shakespeare’s plays helps to challenge western notions of culture, heritage and values.
Science fiction is full of computer programmes and androids who fall afoul of the plots of some of Shakespeare’s most brutal tragedies.
The bard’s plays were not always so readily available. It took a handful of savvy publishers to see the potential in publishing his plays.
Understanding consent is key to avoiding ambiguous and socially awkward encounters and reducing the potential to cause harm. There are lessons in Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’.
As COVID restrictions ease, Ian McKellen’s take on Hamlet reminds us of how theatres dealt with similar situations during the bard’s time.
When the future is clearly changing but we can’t focus on tomorrow, should we just keep dancing? Pamela Rabe anchors the absurdity of The Cherry Orchard.
The founder of the Bell Shakespeare Company has written a book gleaning leadership wisdom from the bard. But figures such as Richard III and Julius Caesar are hardly ones to emulate.
Addressed to a ‘fair youth’ and later, ‘a dark lady’, the sonnets are less well known than Shakespeare’s plays. A journey into them is an unsettling and beguiling literary adventure.
Neil Armfield’s production of the Benjamin Britten opera is a triumph of sure-footed direction, subtle vocal shadings, brilliant comic timing and orchestral precision.
Do you see a fearsome predator? A fragile icon of impending extinction? What these arctic giants have stood for in art has continually evolved.
We might be separated but poems can help bridge the gap and express the sadness of being apart this Valentine’s Day.
They can seem daunting to write but are wonderful to receive so here are a handful of tips to write your own love poem.
It was the film that put the gangsta in Shakespeare: loud, brash, and brimming with pistols and gold chains.
Shakespeare understood that our fate depends on fostering the humility and empathy that dethrones money and transforms it into something we use to advance the common good.
The role of witches in society relates directly to the role of women in society. And during times of social upheaval and changes, witches represent access to women’s power.
Rolling Stone gave this modern adaptation of Twelfth Night one star – but She’s The Man is actually an intelligent and nuanced look at the performance of gender.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in English, Australian National University
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Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies, Royal Holloway University of London
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Professor of English, University of Newcastle
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Leverhulme Early Career Reseach Fellow, University of Warwick
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Associate professor, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama, The University of Melbourne
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Research assistant, Empire, Migration and Belonging, University of Oxford
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Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University
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Honorary Associate in Creative Writing, The Open University
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Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Birmingham
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Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies, McGill University
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Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney
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Winthrop Professor of English, The University of Western Australia
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Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Oxford
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Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Brunel University London
