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Dark, Strange, and Fascinating Tales
Shakespeare's Ear: Dark, Strange, and Fascinating Tales from the World of Theater
Shakespeare’s Ear presents dark and sometimes funny pieces of fact and folklore that bedevil the mostly unknown history of theater. All manner of skullduggery, from revenge to murder, from affairs to persecution, proves that the drama off-stage was just as intense as any portrayed on it. The stories include those An ancient Greek writer of tragedies who dies when an eagle drops a tortoise on his head. A sixteenth-century English playwright who lives a double life as a spy and perishes horribly, stabbed above the eye. A small Parisian theater where grisly horrors unfold on stage. The gold earring that Shakespeare wears in the Chandos portrait, and its connections to bohemians and pirates of the time.Journey back to see theatrical shenanigans from the ancient Near East, explore the violent plays of ancient Greece and Rome, revel in the Elizabethan and Jacobean golden age of blood-thirsty drama, delight in the zany and subversive antics of the Commedia dell’arte, and tremble at ghostly incursions into playhouses. Here you will find many fine examples of playwrights, actors, and audiences alike being horrible to each other over the centuries.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2017
57 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Tim Rayborn
51 books28 followersTim Rayborn is a historian, medievalist, and musician, with an MA and PhD from the University of Leeds in England. He is a writer on a variety of topics in history and the arts, from the academic to the amusing to the appalling. He has written nearly 50 books to date.
A professional musician with a specialty in medieval repertoire, he plays dozens of musical instruments, has appeared on more than 40 recordings, and has performed in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 25, 2020
2.5 stars. It had some interesting facts in it but I didn't get on with the writing style that much. Don't know why, but I feelt either bored or it was a bit of a tedious read. Don't know if it was because of the subject matter but I thought I would enjoy it more
March 13, 2021
It's okay
The author thinks he's witty and hilarious, but his writing reads like a pompous college student. The book is certainly informative, but the cute little asides and puns are just that, "cute". Har har har etc.
The author thinks he's witty and hilarious, but his writing reads like a pompous college student. The book is certainly informative, but the cute little asides and puns are just that, "cute". Har har har etc.
September 18, 2024
This review originally published in
Fortunately, Rayborn seems to lighten up the further we get into the book and his asides are less frequent. Once we get beyond this middle school-like humor, we can actually get some valuable information. For instance, while I've been involved in the theatre for 40+ years, I discovered playwrights whose work I'm interested in reading (such as Pedro Muñoz Seca and Pietro Aretino).
There is more than a small section of the book dedicated to theatre traditions and superstitions ("There is probably no other field in the arts that is as plagued with superstitious beliefs as the theatrical world. The sheer number of superstitions is staggering, mystifying, and often comical."). I found a couple of them interesting, but this section seems to be directed more to the casual reader rather than those already deeply involved in the theatre arts.
Which leads to the biggest question surrounding the book... Who is this for? For those already involved in the theatre world, there's some, but not a lot, of material that is new (some of the less-well-known playwrights, for me). For those not truly involved in theatre, a lot of this material might be too eclectic. Interested in theatre history? This book is probably right on target for you.
Looking for a good book? Tim Rayborn's Shakespeare's Ear is probably a good read for anyone about to make an appearance on Jeopardy! and who wants to learn as much random trivia as possible. For the rest of us...? It's a bit of an annoying slog.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Fortunately, Rayborn seems to lighten up the further we get into the book and his asides are less frequent. Once we get beyond this middle school-like humor, we can actually get some valuable information. For instance, while I've been involved in the theatre for 40+ years, I discovered playwrights whose work I'm interested in reading (such as Pedro Muñoz Seca and Pietro Aretino).
There is more than a small section of the book dedicated to theatre traditions and superstitions ("There is probably no other field in the arts that is as plagued with superstitious beliefs as the theatrical world. The sheer number of superstitions is staggering, mystifying, and often comical."). I found a couple of them interesting, but this section seems to be directed more to the casual reader rather than those already deeply involved in the theatre arts.
Which leads to the biggest question surrounding the book... Who is this for? For those already involved in the theatre world, there's some, but not a lot, of material that is new (some of the less-well-known playwrights, for me). For those not truly involved in theatre, a lot of this material might be too eclectic. Interested in theatre history? This book is probably right on target for you.
Looking for a good book? Tim Rayborn's Shakespeare's Ear is probably a good read for anyone about to make an appearance on Jeopardy! and who wants to learn as much random trivia as possible. For the rest of us...? It's a bit of an annoying slog.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2022
This book is an authentic exhibition of the repugnant, a green room of the gross and fantastic, and a curtain call of the creepy.
Herein you will find all sorts of stories about playwrights, actors, theaters, companies, and audiences engaged in activities ranging from the horrible to the hilarious to the hideous, and sometimes all at the same time.
You don’t need any previous knowledge of theater history—or of plays in general—to enjoy this unsettling excursion.
You can plunge into it anywhere you like, though you might get a bit more out of it by reading it from cover to cover—but that’s really just my way of trying to entice you into devouring it all!
Pick a story, dive in, and prepare to be shocked and fascinated.
Herein you will find all sorts of stories about playwrights, actors, theaters, companies, and audiences engaged in activities ranging from the horrible to the hilarious to the hideous, and sometimes all at the same time.
You don’t need any previous knowledge of theater history—or of plays in general—to enjoy this unsettling excursion.
You can plunge into it anywhere you like, though you might get a bit more out of it by reading it from cover to cover—but that’s really just my way of trying to entice you into devouring it all!
Pick a story, dive in, and prepare to be shocked and fascinated.
October 29, 2017
A very fun read! I knew a lot of the theatrical history portion (one of my bachelor’s degrees is in theatre) but the second part with the hauntings and superstitions was very interesting! Highly recommended for students, those interested but not knowledgeable about theatre, and really anyone with a sense of humor who enjoys the theatre!
October 6, 2017
Quirky, odd snippets about the theatre.
March 7, 2018
This book was really a slog to read.
January 19, 2021
Fun to learn about theatre histories. Now I am ready for trivia night !
Want to read
April 2, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
July 4, 2025
Shakespeare's Ear
is a bountiful well of precisely what the title suggests—fascinating tales from the world of theater, spanning playwrights' intriguing life stories, unanswered conspiracies, unfortunate deaths, hauntings, and gore, bloody gore. Turns out, there’s just as much drama offstage as there is on it!
I enjoyed this quite a bit. The core of the book held my interest well enough, though the author's personality comes on a bit strong at times, particularly in the beginning. Eventually, though, his writing style fades into the background, allowing his thorough theater research, from ancient Egypt to modern New York, to offer a unique perspective on one of the world's greatest storytelling mediums
I enjoyed this quite a bit. The core of the book held my interest well enough, though the author's personality comes on a bit strong at times, particularly in the beginning. Eventually, though, his writing style fades into the background, allowing his thorough theater research, from ancient Egypt to modern New York, to offer a unique perspective on one of the world's greatest storytelling mediums
March 30, 2018
Book received from Edelweiss.
This book is mostly soundbites of the history of theater. It starts with Ancient Greek plays and goes on to explain how it evolved to the theater of today. Parts of it weren't that interesting to me, but others ticked all the boxes, especially once it started on the British and their actors. I enjoyed it enough to try out more of this authors work.
This book is mostly soundbites of the history of theater. It starts with Ancient Greek plays and goes on to explain how it evolved to the theater of today. Parts of it weren't that interesting to me, but others ticked all the boxes, especially once it started on the British and their actors. I enjoyed it enough to try out more of this authors work.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews