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Shakespeare's Restless World
From Neil MacGregor, the acclaimed creator of A History of the World in 100 Objects and the Director of the British Museum, comes a unique, enthralling exploration of the age of William Shakespeare to accompany a new BBC Radio 4 series.
Shakespeare lived through a pivotal period in human history. With the discovery of the New World, the horizons of Old Europe were expanding dramatically - and long-cherished certainties were crumbling. Life was exhilaratingly uncertain. What were Londoners thinking when they went to see Shakespeare's plays? What was it like living in their world? Here Neil MacGregor looks at twenty objects from Shakespeare's life and times, and uncovers the fascinating stories behind them.
The objects themselves range from the grand (such as the hoard of gold coins that make up the Salcombe treasure) to the very humble, like the battered trunk and worn garments of an unknown pedlar. But in each case, they allow MacGregor to explore issues as diverse as piracy and Islam, Catholicism and disguise. MacGregor weaves the histories of objects into the words of Shakespeare's plays themselves to suggest to us where his ideas about religion, national identity, the history of England and the world, human nature itself, may have come from. The result is a fresh and thrilling evocation of Shakespeare's world.
Shakespeare lived through a pivotal period in human history. With the discovery of the New World, the horizons of Old Europe were expanding dramatically - and long-cherished certainties were crumbling. Life was exhilaratingly uncertain. What were Londoners thinking when they went to see Shakespeare's plays? What was it like living in their world? Here Neil MacGregor looks at twenty objects from Shakespeare's life and times, and uncovers the fascinating stories behind them.
The objects themselves range from the grand (such as the hoard of gold coins that make up the Salcombe treasure) to the very humble, like the battered trunk and worn garments of an unknown pedlar. But in each case, they allow MacGregor to explore issues as diverse as piracy and Islam, Catholicism and disguise. MacGregor weaves the histories of objects into the words of Shakespeare's plays themselves to suggest to us where his ideas about religion, national identity, the history of England and the world, human nature itself, may have come from. The result is a fresh and thrilling evocation of Shakespeare's world.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2012
63 people are currently reading
2095 people want to read
About the author
Neil MacGregor
51 books260 followersNeil MacGregor was born in Glasgow to two doctors, Alexander and Anna MacGregor. At the age of nine, he first saw Salvador Dalí's Christ of Saint John of the Cross, newly acquired by Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery, which had a profound effect on him and sparked his lifelong interest in art. MacGregor was educated at Glasgow Academy and then read modern languages at New College, Oxford, where he is now an honorary fellow. The period that followed was spent studying philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris (coinciding with the events of May 1968), and as a law student at Edinburgh University, where he received the Green Prize. Despite being called to the bar in 1972, MacGregor next decided to take an art history degree. The following year, on a Courtauld Institute (University of London) summer school in Bavaria, the Courtauld's director Anthony Blunt spotted MacGregor and persuaded him to take a master's degree under his supervision. Blunt later considered MacGregor "the most brilliant pupil he ever taught".
From 1975 to 1981, MacGregor taught History of Art and Architecture at the University of Reading. He left to assume the editorship of The Burlington Magazine. He oversaw the transfer of the magazine from the Thomson Corporation to an independent and charitable status.
In 1987 MacGregor became a highly successful director of the National Gallery in London. There he was dubbed "Saint Neil", partly because of his popularity at that institution and partly because of his devout Christianity, and the nickname stuck after his departure from the Gallery. During his directorship, MacGregor presented three BBC television series on art: Painting the World in 1995, Making Masterpieces, a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Gallery, in 1997 and Seeing Salvation, on the representation of Jesus in western art, in 2000. He declined the offer of a knighthood in 1999, the first director of the National Gallery to do so.
MacGregor was made director of the British Museum in August 2002, at a time when that institution was £5 million in deficit. He has been lauded for his "diplomatic" approach to the post, though MacGregor rejects this description, stating that "diplomat is conventionally taken to mean the promotion of the interests of a particular state and that is not what we are about at all". He has vowed never to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, saying that it is the museum's duty to "preserve the universality of the marbles, and to protect them from being appropriated as a nationalistic political symbol". He did agree to discuss a loan of the marbles on the condition that Athens rejects all claims of ownership to them.
In January 2008, MacGregor was appointed chairman of the World Collections programme, for training international curators at British museums. The exhibition The First Emperor, focussing on Qin Shi Huang and including a small number of his Terracotta Warriors, was mounted in 2008 in the British Museum Reading Room. That year MacGregor was invited to succeed Philippe de Montebello as the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He declined the offer as the Metropolitan charges its visitors for entry and is thus "not a public institution". In 2010, MacGregor presented a series on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service entitled A History of the World in 100 Objects, based on objects from the British Museum's collection. From September 2010 to January 2011 the British Museum lent the ancient Persian Cyrus Cylinder to an exhibition in Tehran. This was seen by at least a million visitors by the Museum's estimation, more than any loan exhibition to the United Kingdom had attracted since the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972. On 4 November 2010 MacGregor was appointed to the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.
In July 2011, MacGregor spoke at TEDGlobal in Edinburgh about the Cyrus Cylinder and provided a concise summary of the role the artefact has played in Middle East pol
From 1975 to 1981, MacGregor taught History of Art and Architecture at the University of Reading. He left to assume the editorship of The Burlington Magazine. He oversaw the transfer of the magazine from the Thomson Corporation to an independent and charitable status.
In 1987 MacGregor became a highly successful director of the National Gallery in London. There he was dubbed "Saint Neil", partly because of his popularity at that institution and partly because of his devout Christianity, and the nickname stuck after his departure from the Gallery. During his directorship, MacGregor presented three BBC television series on art: Painting the World in 1995, Making Masterpieces, a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Gallery, in 1997 and Seeing Salvation, on the representation of Jesus in western art, in 2000. He declined the offer of a knighthood in 1999, the first director of the National Gallery to do so.
MacGregor was made director of the British Museum in August 2002, at a time when that institution was £5 million in deficit. He has been lauded for his "diplomatic" approach to the post, though MacGregor rejects this description, stating that "diplomat is conventionally taken to mean the promotion of the interests of a particular state and that is not what we are about at all". He has vowed never to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, saying that it is the museum's duty to "preserve the universality of the marbles, and to protect them from being appropriated as a nationalistic political symbol". He did agree to discuss a loan of the marbles on the condition that Athens rejects all claims of ownership to them.
In January 2008, MacGregor was appointed chairman of the World Collections programme, for training international curators at British museums. The exhibition The First Emperor, focussing on Qin Shi Huang and including a small number of his Terracotta Warriors, was mounted in 2008 in the British Museum Reading Room. That year MacGregor was invited to succeed Philippe de Montebello as the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He declined the offer as the Metropolitan charges its visitors for entry and is thus "not a public institution". In 2010, MacGregor presented a series on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service entitled A History of the World in 100 Objects, based on objects from the British Museum's collection. From September 2010 to January 2011 the British Museum lent the ancient Persian Cyrus Cylinder to an exhibition in Tehran. This was seen by at least a million visitors by the Museum's estimation, more than any loan exhibition to the United Kingdom had attracted since the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972. On 4 November 2010 MacGregor was appointed to the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.
In July 2011, MacGregor spoke at TEDGlobal in Edinburgh about the Cyrus Cylinder and provided a concise summary of the role the artefact has played in Middle East pol
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September 18, 2018
“All the world’s a stage!”
And all senses are involved in this reading experience of the colourful, noisy world of Shakespearean times, - if you take the time both to read the book and listen to the BBC radio show. I would highly recommend it, actually, even though the content is almost identical. Listening to the radio, with added background sounds, and different narrator voices, is very rewarding, and makes the Shakespeare quotes come alive with the speakers.
I would probably not have bought the book after listening to the whole show if I hadn’t come across a beautiful, unread copy secondhand which was signed by the author. That temptation was too big, of course, and I did not regret my choice! After the auditive pleasure of the first experience, I now enjoyed the illustrations of the print version just as much as the easily flowing, captivating prose.
I found myself reading the whole book, word for word, as well, because it just blew me away. It will not contain anything new about Shakespeare’s plays for literature scholars. But for lovers of art, literature and history, it is an amazing treasure chest full of artefacts symbolising the world that Shakespeare drew from for his plays. Neil MacGregor excels at describing small objects in a wider context and at making time stand still for a quarter of an hour while he explores the world as seen through the lense of the things human beings make, use and keep.
The reader is invited to wander the streets of London around 1600, and to step into the shoes of the people who filled the theatres of the Southbank, one of which was Shakespeare’s Globe. Almost as if by accident, the history of the time is explained and shown not only through the chosen objects, but through the unforgettable lines of Shakespeare’s plays as well. It seems effortless but illustrates MacGregor’s vast and deep knowledge of the period.
The book concludes with an emotional connection to our world of today, showing the effect of Shakespeare’s plays on people around the world, in various different situations. A touching anecdote of Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s Shakespearean quote during a time of utter stress in the Warsaw Ghetto demonstrates the development of Shakespearean words, moving from local Elizabethan stages in England in 1600 to become universal collections of stories for all the world to admire, over 400 years later:
“For those living the dark moments of history, as for those exploring the wilder or the sweeter shores of love, Shakespeare’s words console, inspire, illuminate and question. More simply, they capture for us the essence of what it is for us to be restlessly human in a constantly restless world.”
Recommended to anyone with a passion for Shakespeare, history and art!
And all senses are involved in this reading experience of the colourful, noisy world of Shakespearean times, - if you take the time both to read the book and listen to the BBC radio show. I would highly recommend it, actually, even though the content is almost identical. Listening to the radio, with added background sounds, and different narrator voices, is very rewarding, and makes the Shakespeare quotes come alive with the speakers.
I would probably not have bought the book after listening to the whole show if I hadn’t come across a beautiful, unread copy secondhand which was signed by the author. That temptation was too big, of course, and I did not regret my choice! After the auditive pleasure of the first experience, I now enjoyed the illustrations of the print version just as much as the easily flowing, captivating prose.
I found myself reading the whole book, word for word, as well, because it just blew me away. It will not contain anything new about Shakespeare’s plays for literature scholars. But for lovers of art, literature and history, it is an amazing treasure chest full of artefacts symbolising the world that Shakespeare drew from for his plays. Neil MacGregor excels at describing small objects in a wider context and at making time stand still for a quarter of an hour while he explores the world as seen through the lense of the things human beings make, use and keep.
The reader is invited to wander the streets of London around 1600, and to step into the shoes of the people who filled the theatres of the Southbank, one of which was Shakespeare’s Globe. Almost as if by accident, the history of the time is explained and shown not only through the chosen objects, but through the unforgettable lines of Shakespeare’s plays as well. It seems effortless but illustrates MacGregor’s vast and deep knowledge of the period.
The book concludes with an emotional connection to our world of today, showing the effect of Shakespeare’s plays on people around the world, in various different situations. A touching anecdote of Marcel Reich-Ranicki’s Shakespearean quote during a time of utter stress in the Warsaw Ghetto demonstrates the development of Shakespearean words, moving from local Elizabethan stages in England in 1600 to become universal collections of stories for all the world to admire, over 400 years later:
“For those living the dark moments of history, as for those exploring the wilder or the sweeter shores of love, Shakespeare’s words console, inspire, illuminate and question. More simply, they capture for us the essence of what it is for us to be restlessly human in a constantly restless world.”
Recommended to anyone with a passion for Shakespeare, history and art!
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July 28, 2025Слухала передачу, яка врешті зібрана в цю книжку (даю лінк на сайт ВВС, але вона доступна всюди, де ви слухаєте подкасти).
Колишній директор Британського музею розповідає про двадцять експонатів (з різних музеїв), які стосуються епохи Шекспіра чи його творчості. Встигає поговорити про багато різного - що їли в театрі в ті часи (на основі викопної срібної виделочки), де ходили в туалет, як давали собі раду з епідеміями, як "Макбет" пов'язаний з тогочасними особливостями політичної культури і чи справді так боялися відьом (експонат: модель кораблика - дар церкві, щоб гарантувати безпеку справжньому флоту). Прекрасний edutainment, дуже заздрю такій роботі з музейними експонатами, тому, як британці вміють підсвітлювати свою культурну спадщину й робити промоцію історичних знань у доступній формі.
Колишній директор Британського музею розповідає про двадцять експонатів (з різних музеїв), які стосуються епохи Шекспіра чи його творчості. Встигає поговорити про багато різного - що їли в театрі в ті часи (на основі викопної срібної виделочки), де ходили в туалет, як давали собі раду з епідеміями, як "Макбет" пов'язаний з тогочасними особливостями політичної культури і чи справді так боялися відьом (експонат: модель кораблика - дар церкві, щоб гарантувати безпеку справжньому флоту). Прекрасний edutainment, дуже заздрю такій роботі з музейними експонатами, тому, як британці вміють підсвітлювати свою культурну спадщину й робити промоцію історичних знань у доступній формі.
March 6, 2014
[image error] imported:
16. A Change of Time: A rare domestic clock, with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes, reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.
17. Plague and the Playhouse: May 1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Its impact and reach is told through a series of early 17th-century proclamations.
18. London Becomes Rome: A set of coronation designs reveals the depth of classical knowledge in Shakespeare's time
19. The Theatres of Cruelty: A human eyeball in a silver setting provides a striking insight into the theatre of cruelty in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain.
20. Shakespeare Goes Global: How Shakespeare has inspired and influenced people across the globe and through the ages.
Looks juiceh!
Telegraph review: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tv...
Product Description: From Neil MacGregor, the acclaimed creator of A History of the World in 100 Objects and the Director of the British Museum, comes a unique, enthralling exploration of the age of William Shakespeare to accompany a new BBC Radio 4 series.
Shakespeare lived through a pivotal period in human history. With the discovery of the New World, the horizons of Old Europe were expanding dramatically - and long-cherished certainties were crumbling. Life was exhilaratingly uncertain. What were Londoners thinking when they went to see Shakespeare's plays? What was it like living in their world? Here Neil MacGregor looks at twenty objects from Shakespeare's life and times, and uncovers the fascinating stories behind them.
The objects themselves range from the grand (such as the hoard of gold coins that make up the Salcombe treasure) to the very humble, like the battered trunk and worn garments of an unknown pedlar. But in each case, they allow MacGregor to explore issues as diverse as piracy and Islam, Catholicism and disguise. MacGregor weaves the histories of objects into the words of Shakespeare's plays themselves to suggest to us where his ideas about religion, national identity, the history of England and the world, human nature itself, may have come from. The result is a fresh and thrilling evocation of Shakespeare's world.
About the Author
Neil MacGregor has been Director of the British Museum since August 2002. He was previously Director of the National Gallery in London from 1987 to 2002.
4 - A portrait painted in 1571 to justify and celebrate Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession, by the 1590s, with no direct Tudor heir, had very different implications.
5 - A rapier and a dagger, essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman, illustrate the extent of violence in Elizabethan London - both onstage and off.
4* Marvellous stuff
:O)
March 14, 2019
"A revelation...MacGregor's choice of clocks, mirrors and swords opens a door on to the lost world of London's theatregoers in and around 1600....The interrogation of these objects yields a sequence of fascinating footnotes to Shakespeare's timeless poetry."
Neil MacGregor is a world-renowned museum director who transformed the British Museum since he took charge in 2002. He is the author of "A History of the World in 100 Objects" a New York Times bestseller. He is the author of "Germany, Memories of a Nation" named Book of the Year by The Times Literary Supplement and a favorite book of mine.
Example of twenty objects reproduced in MacGregor's work:
Hakluyt Principal Navigations (1599). Shakespeare's reference in Twelfth Night to 'the new map with the augmentation of the Indies'.
Francis Drake (1580) who is depicted with his hand on a globe to highlight his great feat.
Portrait of David Kindt who was master of the Hamburg painters' guild. He painted himself with a watch, a new and valuable item. In Twelfth Night, Malvolio fantasizes about being a rich watch-owning gentleman.
Plutarch's Lives, as translated by Thomas North in either the 1579 or 1595 editions, was probably Shakespeare's most important source for his Roman plays, especially Julius Caesar (1599).
The so-called First Folio (London, 1623) was brought together by Shakespeare's colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell 'onely to keepe the memory of so worthy a Friend, & Fellow alive'.
Neil MacGregor is a world-renowned museum director who transformed the British Museum since he took charge in 2002. He is the author of "A History of the World in 100 Objects" a New York Times bestseller. He is the author of "Germany, Memories of a Nation" named Book of the Year by The Times Literary Supplement and a favorite book of mine.
Example of twenty objects reproduced in MacGregor's work:
Hakluyt Principal Navigations (1599). Shakespeare's reference in Twelfth Night to 'the new map with the augmentation of the Indies'.
Francis Drake (1580) who is depicted with his hand on a globe to highlight his great feat.
Portrait of David Kindt who was master of the Hamburg painters' guild. He painted himself with a watch, a new and valuable item. In Twelfth Night, Malvolio fantasizes about being a rich watch-owning gentleman.
Plutarch's Lives, as translated by Thomas North in either the 1579 or 1595 editions, was probably Shakespeare's most important source for his Roman plays, especially Julius Caesar (1599).
The so-called First Folio (London, 1623) was brought together by Shakespeare's colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell 'onely to keepe the memory of so worthy a Friend, & Fellow alive'.
April 6, 2017
"The strange potency of things"
In this book, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, uses a variety of material objects to get under the intellectual skin of the world during Shakespeare's life-time, and explores the ways in which the plays were deeply grounded in the politics, religion, culture and material world from which they sprang.
This approach, in line with current academic thinking, implicitly moves us away from the popular idea of Shakespeare as being some kind of extraordinary, timeless spirit whose plays float, somehow, outside of history. Instead, this focuses on the historicised cultural markers that made the plays as contemporary and current as Private Eye or Have I Got News are for us today.
MacGregor isn't seeking to understand Shakespeare the man but to uncover some of the shared communal assumptions that Shakespeare's audiences carried with them into the Globe and other theatres. This is a wonderfully generous and inclusive book, both erudite and yet accessible.
In this book, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, uses a variety of material objects to get under the intellectual skin of the world during Shakespeare's life-time, and explores the ways in which the plays were deeply grounded in the politics, religion, culture and material world from which they sprang.
This approach, in line with current academic thinking, implicitly moves us away from the popular idea of Shakespeare as being some kind of extraordinary, timeless spirit whose plays float, somehow, outside of history. Instead, this focuses on the historicised cultural markers that made the plays as contemporary and current as Private Eye or Have I Got News are for us today.
MacGregor isn't seeking to understand Shakespeare the man but to uncover some of the shared communal assumptions that Shakespeare's audiences carried with them into the Globe and other theatres. This is a wonderfully generous and inclusive book, both erudite and yet accessible.
March 2, 2021
Se siete amanti di Shakespeare, del teatro o della storia inglese, questo libro è un must!
Un viaggio interessante tra la vita quotidiana, i timori, gli hobby (e molto altro) dell'Inghilterra di William Shakespeare
Insomma, un gioiellino.
Un viaggio interessante tra la vita quotidiana, i timori, gli hobby (e molto altro) dell'Inghilterra di William Shakespeare
Insomma, un gioiellino.
November 25, 2012
This book is both the most information, and the most fun, I have had all year. I missed the BBC radio series on which it was based, so it was all new to me. Basically, it takes 20 objects that were current in Shakespeare's time and place, from a fork dropped in the theatre, through plague proclamations, Henry V's armour and a model ship, to the hapless designs for a union flag commissioned by King James, and uses these objects to illuminate the plays. All the way through, I was muttering "why did I never think of that before?" Reading or seeing the plays in isolation from their context, one can easily forget that, for instance, Shakespeare was 16 when Francis Drake circumnavigated the world and that this had generated a fashion for maps and globes that makes the name of his most famous theatre seem a lot more topical and relevant than we might have thought.
The book is full of fascinating and useful information (eg the price of admission to the theatre, one penny, which was the same as the price of admission to see Henry V's armour in Westminster Abbey). And the fact that theatre performances and afternoon church services both began at 2pm, which explains a lot of church hostility to the theatre. It is also, having been co-produced by BBC Radio and the British Museum as well as the publisher, Allen Lane, full of fascinating and beautifully produced illustrations of the objects in question. Strangely enough, I didn't find the human eye in a reliquary anywhere near as moving as Henry's battered, shabby shield or the fancy fork engraved with its careless owner's initials, A.N.
Paradoxically, the firmness with which the book locates Shakespeare in his own time and place merely emphasises his universal, timeless relevance, with which the last chapter is rather movingly concerned. This book is beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated (the 20 objects are only the start of it) but above all, the text is intelligent, thoughtful and penetrating, giving a genuinely novel and informative angle on the plays. Let's never forget that it came about as a result of a radio series by one of the very few broadcasters that would have undertaken such a project. The BBC is as much of a cultural asset to our time as Shakespeare was to his; we'd surely miss this kind of enterprise if we didn't have Auntie.
The book is full of fascinating and useful information (eg the price of admission to the theatre, one penny, which was the same as the price of admission to see Henry V's armour in Westminster Abbey). And the fact that theatre performances and afternoon church services both began at 2pm, which explains a lot of church hostility to the theatre. It is also, having been co-produced by BBC Radio and the British Museum as well as the publisher, Allen Lane, full of fascinating and beautifully produced illustrations of the objects in question. Strangely enough, I didn't find the human eye in a reliquary anywhere near as moving as Henry's battered, shabby shield or the fancy fork engraved with its careless owner's initials, A.N.
Paradoxically, the firmness with which the book locates Shakespeare in his own time and place merely emphasises his universal, timeless relevance, with which the last chapter is rather movingly concerned. This book is beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated (the 20 objects are only the start of it) but above all, the text is intelligent, thoughtful and penetrating, giving a genuinely novel and informative angle on the plays. Let's never forget that it came about as a result of a radio series by one of the very few broadcasters that would have undertaken such a project. The BBC is as much of a cultural asset to our time as Shakespeare was to his; we'd surely miss this kind of enterprise if we didn't have Auntie.
March 9, 2021
"Scrisse musica e canzoni per il suo teatro dando voce ai grandi successi del momento.
Eppure, secoli dopo, nel ghetto di Varsavia come in un carcere del Sudafrica, Shakespeare sa parlare alla difficile condizione del nostro tempo.
Per quelli che vivono i momenti più bui della storia e per quanti si affacciano alle sponde dolceamare dell'amore, i suoi versi hanno ancora il potere di confortare, ispirare, illuminare e porre domande.
In una parola, sanno catturare l'essenza di ciò che significa essere irrimediabilmente umani in un mondo perennemente inquieto."
Eppure, secoli dopo, nel ghetto di Varsavia come in un carcere del Sudafrica, Shakespeare sa parlare alla difficile condizione del nostro tempo.
Per quelli che vivono i momenti più bui della storia e per quanti si affacciano alle sponde dolceamare dell'amore, i suoi versi hanno ancora il potere di confortare, ispirare, illuminare e porre domande.
In una parola, sanno catturare l'essenza di ciò che significa essere irrimediabilmente umani in un mondo perennemente inquieto."
January 10, 2022
This isn't really a bad book. It's just that if you know anything about Shakespeare and his world, the text in this book is old hat. It is a nicely put together book, but I can't say I actually learned anything from it.
September 2, 2017
I would imagine it's agonizingly difficult to choose twenty objects only from a time and place and highlight that era: breathe life into the past, as it were. That being said, and acknowledging the limitations MacGregor set for himself, this turned out to be quite an interesting little tryst with Shakespeare.
To be fair, this is more representative of MacGregor's knowledge of the Shakespeare canon than it is of 17th century England quotidian activity. While he provides an interesting analysis of many of the objects, there are far too many conjectures to suit the hungry historian in me. I would have liked a more clear cut distinction between his opinion and the evidence. I found there were far too many "would-haves/could-haves" scenarios. In the end, they proved annoying and distracting.
On my own wish list, I "would have" like it more if the photography/plates were better produced. The sometimes-blurred and indefinite reproductions detracted from the prose -- in the end, I felt myself rushing through it, just to get past the images, which were becoming bothersome.
Having stated all my detractions, I think the BBC production would be a lot of fun to listen to: without being distracted by all the little nits built into the book.
I will admit to being a Shakespeare aficionada, and have probably spent far too much time (more than is good for me perhaps) poring over his literature, that this picture book had high standards set for it before it ever came into my hands; and so for that I apologize to MacGregor for stepping in with pre-conceived notions.
Still, a very worthwhile read! (I mean it!) It provides an interesting view of the 17th century that many would never have imagined.
To be fair, this is more representative of MacGregor's knowledge of the Shakespeare canon than it is of 17th century England quotidian activity. While he provides an interesting analysis of many of the objects, there are far too many conjectures to suit the hungry historian in me. I would have liked a more clear cut distinction between his opinion and the evidence. I found there were far too many "would-haves/could-haves" scenarios. In the end, they proved annoying and distracting.
On my own wish list, I "would have" like it more if the photography/plates were better produced. The sometimes-blurred and indefinite reproductions detracted from the prose -- in the end, I felt myself rushing through it, just to get past the images, which were becoming bothersome.
Having stated all my detractions, I think the BBC production would be a lot of fun to listen to: without being distracted by all the little nits built into the book.
I will admit to being a Shakespeare aficionada, and have probably spent far too much time (more than is good for me perhaps) poring over his literature, that this picture book had high standards set for it before it ever came into my hands; and so for that I apologize to MacGregor for stepping in with pre-conceived notions.
Still, a very worthwhile read! (I mean it!) It provides an interesting view of the 17th century that many would never have imagined.
January 7, 2016
This book was so engaging I read it in one train ride and was pleasantly surprised to learn how 16th century England was perceived on a nationally as well as internationally. This perception is analysed through important objects retained from that period.
March 28, 2019
When we read Shakespeare in high school and college, this would have made a wonderful companion piece. A better understanding of the era, would have made the plays come alive. For example, this is what MacGregor has to say about measuring time:
p 218: Before 1600 the great majority of clocks had just a single hour hand, and the divisions of the hour were judged approximately; so what now looks to us like a conventional clock was in 1598 (as for Richard II) cutting-edge technology. It would be another 50 years before minute hands became standard.
Then he provides several examples from the plays that reference time. As a first-time reader of Shakespeare, that would have given me something to watch (no pun intended) for while reading.
Similarly, I hadn't connected Shakespeare with the plague. Apparently he was born during one outbreak and managed to survive several later ones. During severe outbreaks, the king closed the theaters, making it difficult for those who wrote and acted to earn a living. MacGregor points out that even though the plague was very much a part of every Londoner's life there's minimal reference to the plague in any plays from that time period. Maybe Shakespeare and the other writers figured when people wanted to be entertained they didn't need to be reminded of their fears.
These are 2 of the 20 topics/objects addressed in this book. Religion and politics obviously shaped the tone of the times, but I found the more subtle aspects (such as clocks, caps, and eating utensils) to be the most intriguing.
p 218: Before 1600 the great majority of clocks had just a single hour hand, and the divisions of the hour were judged approximately; so what now looks to us like a conventional clock was in 1598 (as for Richard II) cutting-edge technology. It would be another 50 years before minute hands became standard.
Then he provides several examples from the plays that reference time. As a first-time reader of Shakespeare, that would have given me something to watch (no pun intended) for while reading.
Similarly, I hadn't connected Shakespeare with the plague. Apparently he was born during one outbreak and managed to survive several later ones. During severe outbreaks, the king closed the theaters, making it difficult for those who wrote and acted to earn a living. MacGregor points out that even though the plague was very much a part of every Londoner's life there's minimal reference to the plague in any plays from that time period. Maybe Shakespeare and the other writers figured when people wanted to be entertained they didn't need to be reminded of their fears.
These are 2 of the 20 topics/objects addressed in this book. Religion and politics obviously shaped the tone of the times, but I found the more subtle aspects (such as clocks, caps, and eating utensils) to be the most intriguing.
November 25, 2023
De wereld van Shakespeare aan de hand van gevonden voorwerpen is een interessante aanpak. Verschillende aspecten van de Elisabethaanse maatschappij komen aan bod in korte hoofdstukken met veel foto's. Van vlaggen die het moeilijke start van James I illustreren, over een mutsje dat het gevolg was van verplichte kledingvoorschriften tot een echt oog dat een relikwie was voor geheime katholieken. Aanrader!
January 21, 2020
This book gave me a good, concrete feel for Shakespeare’s age and how it may have been manifested in his plays. Recommended!
August 2, 2016
Neil MacGregor ist direktor des British Museum und wohl am bekanntesten für seine Weltgeschichte in 100 Objekten. Hier ist eine Version für Shakespeare und seine Zeit in 20 Objekten.
Das Konzept funktioniert dabei erstaunlich gut. Ein Gegenstand wird mit Geschichte erfüllt, indem er erklärt wird. Woher kam er, wozu wurde er genutzt, wo wurde er gefunden. Diese Hintergrund wird dann mit passenden Stücken von William Shakespeare verknüpft und in Zusammenhang gebracht. Der Gegenstand hilft dabei immens, die Fakten im Hirn zu veranken.
Wenn man also Elisabethanische Pop Culture lernen muss und Hintergrund für Shakespeare Klausuren braucht, ist diese Reihe der perfekte Einstieg.
Den Podcast kann man komplett und ohne Ländersperre auf der BBC Webseite herunterladen:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017gm45
Behandelt werden in jeweils 15 Minuten die Bereiche:
1. ENGLAND GOES GLOBAL - How Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe changed the way Shakespeare's audiences viewed the world and their country's place on it. For the first time, England was engaging with the whole world.
2. COMMUNION AND CONSCIENCE - The communion cup that Shakespeare may well have used sheds light on the dramatic religious changes that came in the aftermath of the Reformation
3. SNACKING THROUGH SHAKESPEARE - A luxury fork discovered on the site of the Rose theatre helps explain what people were nibbling on when they first heard: "Is this a dagger I see before me?"
4. LIFE WITHOUT ELIZABETH - Painted in 1571 to justify and celebrate Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession, by the 1590s, with no direct Tudor heir, this image had very different implications.
5. SWORDPLAY AND SWAGGER - The essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman illustrate the extent of violence in Elizabethan London - both onstage and off.
6. EUROPE: TRIUMPHS OF THE PAST - As a tourist attraction in Westminster Abbey, Henry V's instruments of battle reflect the view of English history as depicted on the Elizabeth stage.
7. IRELAND: FAILURES IN THE PRESENT - A rare woodcut offers a equally rare visual impression of the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.
8. CITY LIFE, URBAN STRIFE - The life of London's apprentices and Shakespeare's groundlings told through a rare woollen cap.
9. NEW SCIENCE, OLD MAGIC - Dr Dee's Mirror was actually a highly polished disk of black obsidian from Mexico but it reflects the Elizabethan fascination with the new sciences of cosmology and astrology.
10. TOIL AND TROUBLE - The differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.
11. TREASON & PLOTS - A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.
12. SEX & THE CITY - A delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after lecherous women.
13. FROM LONDON TO MARRAKECH - Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on the complex relationship Elizabethan England had with the Moors of the Mediterranean.
14. DISGUISE & DECEPTION - Deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen are all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk.
15. THE FLAG THAT FAILED - The problems in uniting Scotland and England and in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag.
16. A TIME OF CHANGE, A CHANGE OF TIME - A rare domestic clock with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.
17. PLAGUE & THE PLAYHOUSE - May 1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Its impact and reach is told through a series of early seventeenth century proclamations.
18. LONDON BECOMES ROME - A set of designs for the Coronation Procession of James I reveals the extent of classical knowledge amongst Shakespeare's audience.
19. THE THEATRES OF CRUELTY - A human eyeball in a silver setting provides a striking insight to the theatre of cruelty in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain.
20. SHAKESPEARE GOES GLOBAL - The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon. An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influenced audiences across the globe and through the ages.
Das Konzept funktioniert dabei erstaunlich gut. Ein Gegenstand wird mit Geschichte erfüllt, indem er erklärt wird. Woher kam er, wozu wurde er genutzt, wo wurde er gefunden. Diese Hintergrund wird dann mit passenden Stücken von William Shakespeare verknüpft und in Zusammenhang gebracht. Der Gegenstand hilft dabei immens, die Fakten im Hirn zu veranken.
Wenn man also Elisabethanische Pop Culture lernen muss und Hintergrund für Shakespeare Klausuren braucht, ist diese Reihe der perfekte Einstieg.
Den Podcast kann man komplett und ohne Ländersperre auf der BBC Webseite herunterladen:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017gm45
Behandelt werden in jeweils 15 Minuten die Bereiche:
1. ENGLAND GOES GLOBAL - How Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe changed the way Shakespeare's audiences viewed the world and their country's place on it. For the first time, England was engaging with the whole world.
2. COMMUNION AND CONSCIENCE - The communion cup that Shakespeare may well have used sheds light on the dramatic religious changes that came in the aftermath of the Reformation
3. SNACKING THROUGH SHAKESPEARE - A luxury fork discovered on the site of the Rose theatre helps explain what people were nibbling on when they first heard: "Is this a dagger I see before me?"
4. LIFE WITHOUT ELIZABETH - Painted in 1571 to justify and celebrate Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession, by the 1590s, with no direct Tudor heir, this image had very different implications.
5. SWORDPLAY AND SWAGGER - The essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman illustrate the extent of violence in Elizabethan London - both onstage and off.
6. EUROPE: TRIUMPHS OF THE PAST - As a tourist attraction in Westminster Abbey, Henry V's instruments of battle reflect the view of English history as depicted on the Elizabeth stage.
7. IRELAND: FAILURES IN THE PRESENT - A rare woodcut offers a equally rare visual impression of the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.
8. CITY LIFE, URBAN STRIFE - The life of London's apprentices and Shakespeare's groundlings told through a rare woollen cap.
9. NEW SCIENCE, OLD MAGIC - Dr Dee's Mirror was actually a highly polished disk of black obsidian from Mexico but it reflects the Elizabethan fascination with the new sciences of cosmology and astrology.
10. TOIL AND TROUBLE - The differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.
11. TREASON & PLOTS - A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.
12. SEX & THE CITY - A delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after lecherous women.
13. FROM LONDON TO MARRAKECH - Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on the complex relationship Elizabethan England had with the Moors of the Mediterranean.
14. DISGUISE & DECEPTION - Deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen are all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk.
15. THE FLAG THAT FAILED - The problems in uniting Scotland and England and in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag.
16. A TIME OF CHANGE, A CHANGE OF TIME - A rare domestic clock with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.
17. PLAGUE & THE PLAYHOUSE - May 1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Its impact and reach is told through a series of early seventeenth century proclamations.
18. LONDON BECOMES ROME - A set of designs for the Coronation Procession of James I reveals the extent of classical knowledge amongst Shakespeare's audience.
19. THE THEATRES OF CRUELTY - A human eyeball in a silver setting provides a striking insight to the theatre of cruelty in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain.
20. SHAKESPEARE GOES GLOBAL - The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon. An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influenced audiences across the globe and through the ages.
January 16, 2013
Firmly based on the Radio Four series – I’m sure some of the text is taken, word for word, from Neil MacGregor’s radio scripts. Anyone who loved Neil MacGregor's BBC radio series on Shakespeare, will surely love this companion volume.
Twenty objects from the British Museum’s collection, chosen by the author, tell the story of Shakespeare’s world, placed in their historical and literary context. There’s more detail here, of course, about each object and its connections with Shakespeare’s world than the radio gave us, and illustrations - we can actually see the object and the pictures, maps etc that give it its place in history. The links between objects, ideas and literary constructs – at times so obvious, but which had never occurred to me before, together with the strange links between art and science – reminded me a little, at times, of James Burke’s ‘Connections’. For example, Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the Earth sparked a craze for maps and Globes that was almost certainly the inspiration for the name of Shakespeare’s theatre, and the numerous references to globes and far-flung places in the plays - fashionable references, that would have resonated with the audiences at The Globe and The Rose, to a very different degree than they do for us.
The rare and valuable fork (who was A.N? And imagine the scene at home when it was realised it was lost! The equivalent of dropping a Rolex Oyster through the boards, into the mud), the African coin and Doctor Dee’s Magical Mirror are most memorable for me, but all twenty have their own fascination, and each a story to tell.
Detailed, informative, absorbing and SO well written; Neil MacGregor’s undoubted knowledge and storytelling skills, draw the reader right into Shakespeare’s – sometimes mysterious and often utterly alien - universe.
Twenty objects from the British Museum’s collection, chosen by the author, tell the story of Shakespeare’s world, placed in their historical and literary context. There’s more detail here, of course, about each object and its connections with Shakespeare’s world than the radio gave us, and illustrations - we can actually see the object and the pictures, maps etc that give it its place in history. The links between objects, ideas and literary constructs – at times so obvious, but which had never occurred to me before, together with the strange links between art and science – reminded me a little, at times, of James Burke’s ‘Connections’. For example, Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the Earth sparked a craze for maps and Globes that was almost certainly the inspiration for the name of Shakespeare’s theatre, and the numerous references to globes and far-flung places in the plays - fashionable references, that would have resonated with the audiences at The Globe and The Rose, to a very different degree than they do for us.
The rare and valuable fork (who was A.N? And imagine the scene at home when it was realised it was lost! The equivalent of dropping a Rolex Oyster through the boards, into the mud), the African coin and Doctor Dee’s Magical Mirror are most memorable for me, but all twenty have their own fascination, and each a story to tell.
Detailed, informative, absorbing and SO well written; Neil MacGregor’s undoubted knowledge and storytelling skills, draw the reader right into Shakespeare’s – sometimes mysterious and often utterly alien - universe.
March 5, 2016
Our school systems take learning apart, separating science from art, history from culture, teaching us each subject in its own cubbyhole. This book tries to put Shakespeare’s times back together, showing us how many still new things changed his world view. It’s also beautifully illustrated with photos and reproductions of museum art and artifacts that make the stories come alive.
Here are some of the topics that most appealed to me:
• Even though the ancient Greeks and Romans wrote impressive dramas, theater was still a new art form in Shakespeare’s day.
• Witches were considered a real threat. James I, when he was still James VI of Scotland, had three women put to death for supposedly causing a storm at sea that nearly downed the ship he was on. (“Double, double, toil and trouble”!)
• How the plague ravished the land and closed the theatres for long periods. Fortunately, Shakespeare had already acquired some wealth and renown and found a patron to fund his sonnet writing.
• Britain still saw itself as a child of the Romans, so even underclass people would have understood a bit of Latin. They even believed Julius Caesar had built the Tower of London.
• How rough the streets of London were: the Capulets and Montagues were nothing new to them.
• Although they performed at The Globe Theatre, globes were still a fairly new invention owned only by the rich.
• A reminder of how timeless Shakespeare’s plays are across cultures. “[Shakespeare’s words] capture for us the essence of what it is to be restlessly human in a constantly restless world.”
(This would get 5 stars if I enjoyed reading nonfiction more.)
Here are some of the topics that most appealed to me:
• Even though the ancient Greeks and Romans wrote impressive dramas, theater was still a new art form in Shakespeare’s day.
• Witches were considered a real threat. James I, when he was still James VI of Scotland, had three women put to death for supposedly causing a storm at sea that nearly downed the ship he was on. (“Double, double, toil and trouble”!)
• How the plague ravished the land and closed the theatres for long periods. Fortunately, Shakespeare had already acquired some wealth and renown and found a patron to fund his sonnet writing.
• Britain still saw itself as a child of the Romans, so even underclass people would have understood a bit of Latin. They even believed Julius Caesar had built the Tower of London.
• How rough the streets of London were: the Capulets and Montagues were nothing new to them.
• Although they performed at The Globe Theatre, globes were still a fairly new invention owned only by the rich.
• A reminder of how timeless Shakespeare’s plays are across cultures. “[Shakespeare’s words] capture for us the essence of what it is to be restlessly human in a constantly restless world.”
(This would get 5 stars if I enjoyed reading nonfiction more.)
August 8, 2014
These days more than 90% of my reading is done using my beloved Kindle Paperwhite. However, last Christmas Santa was kind enough to leave this book under the Christmas tree and I am so glad he did! It's one of those glossy paged, beautifully illustrated books that you really do need to physically hold in your hands to properly enjoy. There, I've surprised myself for even admitting that!
I know it's not an original idea to take objects and use them to investigate a certain era or person, but MacGregor does it superbly. He takes 20 items all related to (but not always from) Shakespeare's time and with them we go on a journey directly into Shakespeare's 'Restless World'. I'd have still been spellbound if he'd chosen 120.
For instance a beautifully made and rather gorgeous fork (which I covet) dropped between the boards of the Rose Theatre and discovered centuries later is the starting point of a wonderful chapter into the eating habits of the time.
The Restless World (great title) was a place where you had to be tough (or lucky) to survive, with the constant fear of disease, religious persecution or young men carrying daggers and rapiers spoiling for a fight after a night on the town. But MacGregor also shows it to be a world of great change and development, of education and travel, and of people flocking to the theatres to be entertained.
I absolutely loved this book and it gets a rare 5 star rating.
I know it's not an original idea to take objects and use them to investigate a certain era or person, but MacGregor does it superbly. He takes 20 items all related to (but not always from) Shakespeare's time and with them we go on a journey directly into Shakespeare's 'Restless World'. I'd have still been spellbound if he'd chosen 120.
For instance a beautifully made and rather gorgeous fork (which I covet) dropped between the boards of the Rose Theatre and discovered centuries later is the starting point of a wonderful chapter into the eating habits of the time.
The Restless World (great title) was a place where you had to be tough (or lucky) to survive, with the constant fear of disease, religious persecution or young men carrying daggers and rapiers spoiling for a fight after a night on the town. But MacGregor also shows it to be a world of great change and development, of education and travel, and of people flocking to the theatres to be entertained.
I absolutely loved this book and it gets a rare 5 star rating.
August 22, 2014
3.5 stars.
This book starts so strong, gets a bit hit-and-miss, and then got tl;dr.
The idea is that by delving into the context of 20 objects, the author will tell us details about Shakespeare's world. We learn that globes were super-new, so Puck's line about "circumnavigating the globe" was a total science shout-out. (Here, let me tell you more about exploration in the 15-1600s, dear reader.) Or that wearing rapiers in town was a fashion thing that led to hotheads, y'know, using their accessories all the time, leading to slang like "he was a young blade."
Unfortunately, at the halfway mark, the author stops caring about the "objects" part. One of the chapters is entitled "Ireland: Failures in the Present." This chapter goes on about Irish/British relations, but misses the whole (intriguing!) point of tying it into a physical item. (Or, if it did, it was in the later parts of the chapter after I started skimming.)
Having forgotten about the premise, the book devolves into just another pop-history tome, with not enough pop to keep this reader's attention.
This book starts so strong, gets a bit hit-and-miss, and then got tl;dr.
The idea is that by delving into the context of 20 objects, the author will tell us details about Shakespeare's world. We learn that globes were super-new, so Puck's line about "circumnavigating the globe" was a total science shout-out. (Here, let me tell you more about exploration in the 15-1600s, dear reader.) Or that wearing rapiers in town was a fashion thing that led to hotheads, y'know, using their accessories all the time, leading to slang like "he was a young blade."
Unfortunately, at the halfway mark, the author stops caring about the "objects" part. One of the chapters is entitled "Ireland: Failures in the Present." This chapter goes on about Irish/British relations, but misses the whole (intriguing!) point of tying it into a physical item. (Or, if it did, it was in the later parts of the chapter after I started skimming.)
Having forgotten about the premise, the book devolves into just another pop-history tome, with not enough pop to keep this reader's attention.
May 19, 2018
Una vera chicca!
MacGregor ripercorre, attraverso una serie di oggetti dell'Inghilterra Elisabettiana e Giacobiana, il contesto nel quale le opere di Shakespeare vennero prodotte e messe in scena.
La grande domanda alla base di questo prezioso volume è: chi era il pubblico per il quale Shakespeare ha scritto le sue opere? Chi si trovava nella platea del Globe durante le performances? Cosa faceva gli uomini e le donne che guardavano le opere teatrali ma, soprattutto, com'era il mondo che li circondava? Quali erano gli argomenti di attualità, le paure e le abitudini di quel periodo così ricco di eventi?
Editorialmente è davvero un gioiellino corredato di interessanti immagini e riproduzioni di stampe, volumi e dipinti d'epoca.
Lo stile di MacGregor è assolutamente gradevole: riesce a rendere semplice e coinvolgente anche un argomento "difficile" e specialistico come la storia elisabettiana.
Amate Shakespeare? Volete sapere qualcosa di più sul contesto nel quale è vissuto e, soprattutto, ha lavorato? Questo è sicuramente il volume che fa per voi!
MacGregor ripercorre, attraverso una serie di oggetti dell'Inghilterra Elisabettiana e Giacobiana, il contesto nel quale le opere di Shakespeare vennero prodotte e messe in scena.
La grande domanda alla base di questo prezioso volume è: chi era il pubblico per il quale Shakespeare ha scritto le sue opere? Chi si trovava nella platea del Globe durante le performances? Cosa faceva gli uomini e le donne che guardavano le opere teatrali ma, soprattutto, com'era il mondo che li circondava? Quali erano gli argomenti di attualità, le paure e le abitudini di quel periodo così ricco di eventi?
Editorialmente è davvero un gioiellino corredato di interessanti immagini e riproduzioni di stampe, volumi e dipinti d'epoca.
Lo stile di MacGregor è assolutamente gradevole: riesce a rendere semplice e coinvolgente anche un argomento "difficile" e specialistico come la storia elisabettiana.
Amate Shakespeare? Volete sapere qualcosa di più sul contesto nel quale è vissuto e, soprattutto, ha lavorato? Questo è sicuramente il volume che fa per voi!
November 8, 2019
An interesting way of portraying a historical period (in this case, late Elizabethan and early Jacobean) – 20 Chapters, each set around a specific object from that time. Each item is used as a “jumping off” point in a description of one (or more) social, religious, or political themes. Items include a silver medal commemorating Drakes circumnavigation of the globe, a woolen apprentice’s cap, an obsidian mirror used by Dr. Dee, a goblet of “Venetian” glass, a pedlar’s trunk containing secret Catholic paraphernalia, a “thanksgiving” model ship, a page of early (and rejected) designs proposed for the union of England and Scotland, a silver reliquary holding the preserved eyeball of an executed Catholic missionary, and 16th Century Moroccan gold coins found in a shipwreck off the English coast.
March 5, 2015
I loved this book. I wish I had read it twenty years ago. It informs so much about a culture, a period, and Shakespeare. Through twenty objects and lots of references to Shakespeare's plays, Neil MacGregor makes years of Shakespeare come alive. This book will give depth to anyone who has read or continues to read Shakespeare or other works of the time. It will be interesting to those who love history. I wished so many times that I had had this book when I was teaching Shakespeare. It does so much toward making a modern reader understand what he would never have known otherwise about a different way of living and seeing life.
April 20, 2014
In this book, Neil MacGregor takes twenty objects from Shakespeare's time--everything from a fancy fork found in the stalls of the Rose Theater, to James I's plague declarations, to a mummified eyeball from an executed Catholic priest--and relates them to the Bard's plays and the world of Elizabethan England at large. While it's by no means an exhaustive study of the period, it's rich in little details that sparked my imagination.
September 29, 2021
There is nothing much to say. The book is awesome. It's written in a great way and I was completely immersed in the world. Well, I'm a Shakespeare real, so no winder I liked the book. But it's very interesting and I learned things I didn't know about Elizabethan England through the everyday objects.
December 24, 2018
Good book with nice pictures. Nothing to write home about but it was nice.
April 12, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wonderfully written and informative 😁
Wonderfully written and informative 😁
May 27, 2020
This is the second of MacGregor's History in Objects books that I have read, and they continue to delight and inspire. His writing is quick, witty and informed - like listening to a favorite lecturer. The way that he creates context here, bringing Shakespeare's works more fully to life, is a revelation.
Read
November 20, 2020Fantastic. I stumbled upon this book and completely enjoyed it. The illustrations and museum objects on the pages came to life and opened a more tangible and defined view of this engrossing era. Beautifully and smartly presented. A treasure.
April 15, 2014
With the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth fast approaching, the ‘Bardolatory’ industry is in full swing.
There are screeds of scholarly opinion and conspiracy theories out there, all of which are drawn from the barest scraps of information.
The truth is, we know very little about the greatest playwright of the age, even his true date of birth; the official record doesn’t tell us the day, it gives only his baptism date.
The information vacuum around Stratford’s most famous son gives academics license to indulge in ‘Bard Wars’ – intellectual jousting that’s all very interesting, but ultimately inconclusive.
The authorship debate is at once both fascinating and sterile. Without new information we’ll never know. Was the true author my fellow Stratfordian, William, or was it Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson or any of the other dozens of candidates advanced over the past two centuries?
Neil MacGregor’s book is refreshingly different in that it takes as its starting point knowledge that we do have about life in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods and the people for whom Shakespeare was writing.
From objects as disparate as a model ship, a peddler’s trunk, a fork and a woollen cap he brings context to the life of the Bard of Avon by illustrating the prevailing fears and tensions of audiences of the time.
The reverberations of The Gunpowder Plot equate to the modern world’s post 9-11 period. Plots and conspiracies are seen everywhere, Jesuit priests are hunted down and tortured; martyrdom represents the ultimate test of faith and sacrifice.
Magic, ghosts and the power to call up spirits are readily accepted by Shakespeare’s contemporaries. It’s a concept hard for us to comprehend now and one MacGregor likens to acceptance of today’s celebrity scientists; we admire their work but only dimly comprehend.
Plague, pestilence, state-directed hangings and dismemberment, mean death is never far away. An Italianate rapier and dagger recovered from the foreshore of the Thames attest to routine levels of violence on London’s mean streets but also illuminate the status and style of ambitions of the owner.
The book’s glimpses into the backdrop of the lives of the people are woven with an historical narrative that catalyses the fears and anxieties that dogged them.
Issues such as the succession, no more than tabloid fodder now had, back then, the potential to unleash persecution and terror at every level of society.
Bridging the past and the present to aid understanding is MacGregor’s great gift. Much of what you’ll read is familiar, but there are many “aha!” moments to enjoy and to reinforce appreciation of the Bard and his works – whoever he (or she) may be.
There are screeds of scholarly opinion and conspiracy theories out there, all of which are drawn from the barest scraps of information.
The truth is, we know very little about the greatest playwright of the age, even his true date of birth; the official record doesn’t tell us the day, it gives only his baptism date.
The information vacuum around Stratford’s most famous son gives academics license to indulge in ‘Bard Wars’ – intellectual jousting that’s all very interesting, but ultimately inconclusive.
The authorship debate is at once both fascinating and sterile. Without new information we’ll never know. Was the true author my fellow Stratfordian, William, or was it Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson or any of the other dozens of candidates advanced over the past two centuries?
Neil MacGregor’s book is refreshingly different in that it takes as its starting point knowledge that we do have about life in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods and the people for whom Shakespeare was writing.
From objects as disparate as a model ship, a peddler’s trunk, a fork and a woollen cap he brings context to the life of the Bard of Avon by illustrating the prevailing fears and tensions of audiences of the time.
The reverberations of The Gunpowder Plot equate to the modern world’s post 9-11 period. Plots and conspiracies are seen everywhere, Jesuit priests are hunted down and tortured; martyrdom represents the ultimate test of faith and sacrifice.
Magic, ghosts and the power to call up spirits are readily accepted by Shakespeare’s contemporaries. It’s a concept hard for us to comprehend now and one MacGregor likens to acceptance of today’s celebrity scientists; we admire their work but only dimly comprehend.
Plague, pestilence, state-directed hangings and dismemberment, mean death is never far away. An Italianate rapier and dagger recovered from the foreshore of the Thames attest to routine levels of violence on London’s mean streets but also illuminate the status and style of ambitions of the owner.
The book’s glimpses into the backdrop of the lives of the people are woven with an historical narrative that catalyses the fears and anxieties that dogged them.
Issues such as the succession, no more than tabloid fodder now had, back then, the potential to unleash persecution and terror at every level of society.
Bridging the past and the present to aid understanding is MacGregor’s great gift. Much of what you’ll read is familiar, but there are many “aha!” moments to enjoy and to reinforce appreciation of the Bard and his works – whoever he (or she) may be.
June 14, 2013
As a far of Shakespeare and a resident of Warwickshire where he was born and lived, I didn't think there was much I didn't know about his life and the town. However, this book has opened my eyes to so many new things about this time and the influences over this man and his writing.
This book is based on the Radio 4 series which looks at the world in which Shakespeare wrote his plays and took his influence, based upon a series of objects from around that period. The objects range from the first collection of Shakespeare's plays to the navigation medal of Francis Drake.
Each object in this book is explored in great detail with beautiful pictures and descriptions of the object in question, along with great exploration of the context in which this item existed and the inspiration this had on Shakespeare's plays. The writer goes to great lengths to draw the leader into the world under the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, looking at the religious uncertainty at that time, the questions surrounding Elizabeth's succession and the exploration of the world and expanding trade which was occurring at the time.
The book looks at the influence of Venice, a key trading port at the time and a key location in many of Shakespeare's plays. Many of the items are linked with the undercover Catholicism which many were forced to practise in Elizabethan England, and the author provides the reader with great background as to why these items were so important at the time.
I could go on and on about the items in this book and the wonderful way in which the author not only describes the England of the time, but also the link with the Bard himself. There is much deliberation and conspiracy about whether Shakespeare wrote many of his plays, as how could a simple man from Stratford-Upon-Avon know so much about the wider world. This book answers that question, and many more, and really gives both a visual and detailed insight into Shakespeare's world.
This book is based on the Radio 4 series which looks at the world in which Shakespeare wrote his plays and took his influence, based upon a series of objects from around that period. The objects range from the first collection of Shakespeare's plays to the navigation medal of Francis Drake.
Each object in this book is explored in great detail with beautiful pictures and descriptions of the object in question, along with great exploration of the context in which this item existed and the inspiration this had on Shakespeare's plays. The writer goes to great lengths to draw the leader into the world under the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, looking at the religious uncertainty at that time, the questions surrounding Elizabeth's succession and the exploration of the world and expanding trade which was occurring at the time.
The book looks at the influence of Venice, a key trading port at the time and a key location in many of Shakespeare's plays. Many of the items are linked with the undercover Catholicism which many were forced to practise in Elizabethan England, and the author provides the reader with great background as to why these items were so important at the time.
I could go on and on about the items in this book and the wonderful way in which the author not only describes the England of the time, but also the link with the Bard himself. There is much deliberation and conspiracy about whether Shakespeare wrote many of his plays, as how could a simple man from Stratford-Upon-Avon know so much about the wider world. This book answers that question, and many more, and really gives both a visual and detailed insight into Shakespeare's world.
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