• Colour drawing of a staged theatrical scene framed by two symmetrical classical structures with niches containing gilded statues, flanked by trees. At the centre, a painted backdrop shows an island within an archipelago, with a visible settlement; in the foreground, a vessel approaches the shore. Four figures stand before the backdrop holding branches and other objects. The composition is enclosed within a thin rectangular gold border.

Walter Scott the “mighty minstrel” and Marmion

Walter Scott’s poetry dominated the early years of the nineteenth century but has subsequently fallen into relative obscurity. The first scholarly edition of Marmion (1808), the second of Scott’s grand historical narrative poems, has recently been published and sets out…

Utopia: A round-table discussion

Sir Thomas More (1477 – 1535) was the first person to write of a ‘utopia’, a word used to describe a perfect imaginary world. The term was first published in 1516, and became the short title of his book about an…

A Quiz on Shakespeare and Science – Part 2

By Sophie Chiari and Mickaël Popelard The second part of our quiz poses another 14 questions on Shakespeare and science. Missed the first part? Check it out here. How often does Shakespeare refer to atomism in his plays? Page 123, Jonathan Pollock:…

A Quiz on Shakespeare and Science

By Sophie Chiari and Mickaël Popelard In this two part quiz, the editors of new book Spectacular Science, Technology and Superstition in the Age of Shakespeare pose some interesting questions in relation to Shakespeare and science and go on to quote from…