The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem For that sweet odour which doth in it live. Sonnet 54 No more be grieved at that which thou hast done: Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud; Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud. Sonnet 35 Of … More A rose by any other name
It’s been raining endlessly, the Easter holidays a complete washout of miserably cold, dark, wet days, and delayed spring. I saw the Old Vic production of Fanny and Alexander again at the end of March, somewhat late into the run. As said before, I like seeing plays both during the previews and after the first … More Lately
I have been lately working on a garden photography project, which has got me interested in the Shakespearean plant language. Luckily for me, in the past couple of years no less than two books on the subject have been published, with deceptively similar titles: A Shakespearen Botanical by Margaret Willes, and Botanical Shakespeare by Gerit … More A rose by any other name
It’s been a while. In fact, it’s been a whole month since I even looked at this blog. I haven’t gone away though – it just so happens that December is always rather busy. And I’m good at wasting time – for example, I spent one whole weekend painting Nutcracker illustrations, with results that I … More This year
Pure motives, good breeding, foreign travel, the best of educations and the scent of the court were necessary criteria for an author of works of ‘superhuman genius’. I didn’t mean to park this blog for over two months; somehow that just happened – partly because I haven’t had anything interesting to write about lately, partly … More Shakespeare Saturday: Contested Will
When the Almeida Theatre’s Hamlet, directed by Robert Icke, opened in February I didn’t really register it. By the summer I had a vague idea that it was a hit and had had great reviews, but that’s about it. One of my job perks is that there is, couple times a year, the odd free … More Hamlet in Harold Pinter Theatre
As luck and coincidence would have it, I’m seeing two operas based on a Shakespeare play back to back this summer. This past Saturday, I went to Glyndebourne to see the Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet, and on Sunday, I’m seeing Verdi’s Otello (yes, with That Tenor) at the Royal Opera. The Glyndebourne trip was … More Tonight at the opera: Shakespeare edition, vol. 1
By the end of the 18th century, there were multiple editions of Shakespeare’s work in circulation, but no biography that could have been considered satisfying. Shakespeare had not left behind manuscripts or notes, and only few signatures in legal papers here and there. The first collection of his work, the Folio, had been published years … More Shakespeare Saturday: Lost plays, found plays, fake plays, and plays that might have been
Few days ago I came back to check the date of the last post on this blog, and realised that it has been a year and a few days since I started my Shakespeare project in earnest. And I still haven’t quite finished, as there’s one more play he contributed to to get through, and … More Happy (sort of) anniversary
A peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience. Henry VIII, a collaborative play between Shakespeare and John Fletcher, is famous for one thing above all else: during a performance on 29 June 1613 of a play called All is True a cannon fired on the stage ignited the thatched roof of the … More Shakespeare Saturday: Henry VIII
Shakespeare for absolute beginners 