From Neil Mac Gregor the acclaimed creator of A History of the World in 100 Objects" & 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
- & long-cherished certainties were crumbling. Life was exhilaratingly uncertain. What were Londoners thinking when they went to see Shakespeares plays? What was it like living in their world? Here Neil Mac Gregor looks at twenty objects from Shakespeares life & times & 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 & worn garments of an unknown pedlar. But in each case they allow Mac Gregor to explore issues as diverse as piracy & Islam Catholicism & disguise. Mac Gregor weaves the histories of objects into the words of Shakespeares plays themselves to suggest to us where his ideas about religion national identity the history of England & the world human nature itself may have come from. The result is a fresh & thrilling evocation of Shakespeares world."
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Neil Mac Gregor the Director of the British Museum looks at the world through the eyes of Shakespeares audience by exploring objects from that turbulent period. Examining these objects Neil discusses how Shakespeares audiences understood & made sense of the unstable & rapidly changing world in which they lived. With old certainties shifting around them in a time of political & religious unrest & economic expansion Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. Neil uses objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public & helped shape the works & considers what they can reveal about the concerns & beliefs of Shakespearean Engl&. ...

Shakespeares Sonnets are universally loved & much-quoted throughout the world while debates still rage as to the identity of the Dark Lady & how autobiographical the sonnets really are. First published in 1997 to much critical acclaim the Sonnets has been a consistent best-seller in the Arden Shakespeare series. Katherine Duncan Jones tackles the controversies & mysteries surrounding these beautiful poems head on & explores the issues of sexuality to be found in them making this a truly modern edition for todays readers & students. This revised edition has been updated & corrected in the light of new scholarship & critical thinking since its first publication. ...

Shakespeares Sonnets have caused endless debate & speculation: who is the dark lady; who is the only begetter; & what light do the poems shed on the life of the poet? Yet the sonnets themselves can be enjoyed for their lyricism rather than their intention. Written as a form of personal confession
- of love of grief of anger of jealousy & of lust
- the sonnets encompass a huge range of human emotion beautifully expressed within the restrictions of the form. Some such as Shall I compare thee to a summers day" or " Let me not to the marriage of true minds" will be instantly familiar to readers while others equally rich in imagery are less well known. Together they form a powerful meditation on the nature of love marriage beauty & time."

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Lily Bard has started over in the quiet town of Shakespeare Arkansas as a cleaning lady. She works out her anger & the pain of her past with martial arts. For Lily the gym is a place to get away from her troubles not find more of them. But when she stumbles on the corpse of a local bodybuilder his neck broken with a barbell the town's underlying racial tensions begin to boil over. The white victim was connected to two unsolved murders of black residents in Shakespeare & a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. Lily may have to decide whether to stay & fight for justice or run away one more time. ...

Welcome to Shakespeare Arkansas Disguising herself with short hair & baggy clothes Lily Bard has started over as a cleaning lady in the sleepy town of Shakespeare where she can sweep away the secrets of her dark & violent past. However her plan to live a quiet unobserved life begins to crumble when she discovers the dead body of her nosy landlord. Lily doesn't care who did it but as the suspicion of the police & local community falls on her she soon realises if she doesn't unmask the murderer her life might not just crumble: it might also end. ...

Shakespeare's sonnets are revered the world over for perfectly capturing the torments & joys of love unrequited or otherwise in just fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. Twenty-nine of the bard's most romantic sonnets are included in this beautiful hardcover all of them lovingly illustrated by the talented Caitlin Keegan. Pretty & contemporary the illustrations tastefully accentuate the depth of sentiment in each sonnet. A brilliant sun rises over the 17th Sonnet (' Shall I Compare thee to a summer's day?') & a graceful animal adorns the 19th Sonnet (' Devouring time blunt thou the lion's paws'). Available just in time for Valentine's Day but appropriate for any spontaneous expression of love this is an ideal sophisticated gift for the legions of Shakespeare fans. ...

The Elizabethan age was a tumultuous time when long-cherished certainties were crumbling & life was exhilaratingly uncertain. Shakespeare's Restless World uncovers the extraordinary stories behind twenty objects from the period to re-create an age at once distant & yet surprisingly familiar. From knife crime to belief in witches religious battles to the horizons of the New World Neil Mac Gregor brings the past to life in a fresh unexpected portrait of a dangerous & dynamic era. ...

Shakespeare Arkansas is home to endless back roads historic buildings colourful residents
- & the occasional murder. It is also
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Authoritative surprising evocative & original Shakespeare: staging the world" offers a completely new approach to one of the most exceptional creative imaginations in history. While matters of religion trade & war were being contested the role of the playwright developed to inform persuade & provoke debate on the concerns of the day. This richly illustrated book presents an extraordinary collection of objects from the British Museums unrivalled collection as well as key pieces from Britain & elsewhere. Simon Formans diary of 1611 gives a vivid account of attending a contemporary performance of "A Winters Tale"; a dagger fished from the Thames gives new resonance to the gang violence of " Romeo & Juliet"; while Guy Fawkes lantern illustrates the Catholic counterculture revealed through the failed Gunpowder Plot which was later to prove the inspiration for " Macbeth". " Shakespeare: staging the world" is a fascinating view of the early modern world through the eyes of Shakespeare his players & audiences. "A fascinating account of Shakespeares cosmopolitan world illustrated with breathtaking images that bring to life the rich material culture that shaped Shakespeares writings & his age. This is a superb volume one that will have pride of place on my bookshelf." (Professor James Shapiro author of 1599 & Contested Wil)." ...