COVID Shakespeare

The Tragedy of King Lear – ‘ How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child !’ 1605 seemed to start as a good year for James I. He had succeeded in again building the relations between England, Scotland and Wales and in October 1604, extended his title from King of Scotland and King of England to the the title of ‘King of Great Britain’. He had also forged an end to the Anglo-Spanish in August 1604, started to extend the powers of parliament and pushed forward with some Freedom of Worship policies (but these laws would not be enough for some Catholics). Little did James know that even as early as May 1604, Guy Fawkes and a group of Catholic conspirators had started to plan for November 1605 for what would become the Gunpowder Plot. But for the moment, all seemed quiet at the palace. On the writing front Shakespeare had seemed fairly quiet in late 1604 and early 1605 but he had good reason. He was trying to ensure that he could create financial security for himse...

Othello - "Mere prattle without practise is mere soldiership"  About two days after starting 'Measure for Measure' rehearsals, Shakespeare probably gave actors the first scenes of his masterpiece 'Othello'. Burbage would have been both excited and cautious when the leaf pages of Act One were put in his hand. There is a story that goes around that after the success of playing Hamlet, that Burbage bet Shakespeare that he Burbage could play any part that Shakespeare or anyone else could write. The bet probably involved money and shouting a round or two at the local tavern. The rumour says that Shakespeare took the bet and went away and wrote a black noble Moor character who kills the wife he loves and called the character Othello. Shakespeare probably gave Burbage a possible way out of the bet by creating such a strong other main character in Iago, but we know that Burbage was the first to play Othello. The play opens with an argument on the streets of Venice whe...