That Shakespeare Life

In 16th century England, Christmas time was a season of disorder, with many of the holiday celebrations centering around the idea of Misrule, role reversal, and a celebration of general chaos as part of the festivities. Which makes it surprising that the one place you would expect to find extreme order, the Inns of Court, which were essentially Law School for England’s budding lawyers, was also the establishment where Shakespeare staged a performance of Comedy of Errors on Dec 28, 1594, which was so riotous, that members of the audience would refer to that night as the Night of Errors, setting up a subsequent mock trial for the law students to sort out who was the culprit behind the holiday disorder in the court.

Here to help us explore the wild and out of order nature of Shakespeare’s 1594 performance of Comedy of Errors, and why it seems Gray’s Inn in particular was such a hot spot for budding law students to quench their thirst for theater, is our guest Dr Joe Stephenson.

During the century following Shakespeare's life, the government tried to end playoing, shutting down theaters and passing orders against plays entirely. During this moment in history when it would have been easy for the legacy of William Shakespeare to die completely, one man who remembered William Shakespeare from his childhood, would champion the cause of theater, plays, and his mentor, William Shakespeare, to carry the legacy forward to survive the era of Oliver Cromwell, and potentially serve as the reason we continue to enjoy Shakespeare today. That man was William D'Avenant. Through the course of his life D'Avenent, through his charm and ability to tell great stories, worked his way up the status ladder in London to become not only a poet laureate but also a respected theater owner and playwright who worked alongside greats like ben Jonson, John Milton,and John Donne. As a holder of the only theater patent in London D'Avenant would use his stage to showcase 10 of Shakespeare's most celebrated works. While decidedly a devotee of Shakespeare, William D'Avenant is recorded as claiming to be the son of William Shakespeare, and many historians believe he was actually Shakespeare's godson. Here to share with us more about the life of William D'Avenant, whose childhood overlapped with the life of William Shakespeare, is our honored guest, Ralph Goldswain.

During the century following Shakespeare’s life, the government tried to end playoing, shutting down theaters and passing orders against plays entirely. During this moment in history when it would have been easy for the legacy of William Shakespeare to die completely, one man who remembered William Shakespeare from his childhood, would champion the cause of theater, plays, and his mentor, William Shakespeare, to carry the legacy forward to survive the era of Oliver Cromwell, and potentially serve as the reason we continue to enjoy Shakespeare today. That man was William D’Avenant. Through the course of his life D’Avenent, through his charm and ability to tell great stories, worked his way up the status ladder in London to become not only a poet laureate but also a respected theater owner and playwright who worked alongside greats like ben Jonson, John Milton,and John Donne. As a holder of the only theater patent in London D’Avenant would use his stage to showcase 10 of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works. While decidedly a devotee of Shakespeare, William D’Avenant is recorded as claiming to be the son of William Shakespeare, and many historians believe he was actually Shakespeare’s godson. Here to share with us more about the life of William D’Avenant, whose childhood overlapped with the life of William Shakespeare, is our honored guest, Ralph Goldswain.

History remembers Christopher Marlowe as a contemporary of William Shakespeare that was prone to violence. Arrested multiple times for his association with fights, duels, and even murder, scholars around the world have suggested that Christopher Marlowe had a hot temper which often ran him afoul of the local authorities in London. In addition to achieving a university education and the social rank of gentleman, Marlowe is the author of some of the most powerful plays in the English Renaissance, including Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, and the Jew of Malta. Undeniably a powerful force in England as well as a huge influence over the life of William Shakespeare, the life of Christopher Marlowe is as fascinating as it is essential to understanding the life of William Shakespeare. Despite his reputation for violence and certainly for including some very violent characters in his plays, our guest this week, Ros Barber, challenges the traditional assumptions about what we know of Christopher Marlowe and suggests in her publication "Was Marlowe a Violent Man?", that understanding the cultural history of what it meant to be a gentleman, the violent nature of corporal punishment in 16th century England, as well as comparing the recorded history of Marlowe to that of men like William Shakespeare, reveals that the reputation for hot tempered violence might be a posthumous application to Marlowe instead of the truth about this significant poet.

History remembers Christopher Marlowe as a contemporary of William Shakespeare that was prone to violence. Arrested multiple times for his association with fights, duels, and even murder, scholars around the world have suggested that Christopher Marlowe had a hot temper which often ran him afoul of the local authorities in London. In addition to achieving a university education and the social rank of gentleman, Marlowe is the author of some of the most powerful plays in the English Renaissance, including Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, and the Jew of Malta. Undeniably a powerful force in England as well as a huge influence over the life of William Shakespeare, the life of Christopher Marlowe is as fascinating as it is essential to understanding the life of William Shakespeare.

Despite his reputation for violence and certainly for including some very violent characters in his plays, our guest this week, Ros Barber, challenges the traditional assumptions about what we know of Christopher Marlowe and suggests in her publication “Was Marlowe a Violent Man?”, that understanding the cultural history of what it meant to be a gentleman, the violent nature of corporal punishment in 16th century England, as well as comparing the recorded history of Marlowe to that of men like William Shakespeare, reveals that the reputation for hot tempered violence might be a posthumous application to Marlowe instead of the truth about this significant poet. 

In William Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 2, the character Jack Cade declares himself Lord Mortimer of London by striking London Stone and then sitting upon the stone to declare his royalty. While it makes a dramatic scene for a theatrical play, this story was based in actual history and the way Shakespeare tells the story tells us as modern theater goers something interesting about the Tudor opinion of the real Jack Cade that was present as Shakespeare was writing. While Shakespeare seems to base his plays, and his portrayal of Jack Cade, on the history of Holinshed's Chronicles, there are some first hand accounts of people who witnessed Jack Cade's procession into London from actual history, as well as some variances between Shakespeare's quarto and folio versions of Henry VI Part 2 which shine light on exactly what Shakespeare thought about his colorful figure from English history.

London Stone that Jack Cade chooses to strike as he declares himself Lord of the city was more than just a passing fictional narrative by Shakespeare. The real London Stone was a major landmark for England, with native travellers using it in a similar fashion to how Big Ben is used today--people all over the world not only recognized this stop in London as a representative of England herself, but many foreign dignitaries from the 16th century went out of their way to visit London Stone as an important stop on their visit to the city.

Here today to walk us through some of the portraits of Jack Cade from Shakespeare's lifetime as well as additional items from the Medieval Collections at the Museum of London to tell us the real story of London Stone and its place in the popular culture from Shakespeare's lifetime is our guest, John Clark

In William Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part 2, the character Jack Cade declares himself Lord Mortimer of London by striking London Stone and then sitting upon the stone to declare his royalty. While it makes a dramatic scene for a theatrical play, this story was based in actual history and the way Shakespeare tells the story tells us as modern theater goers something interesting about the Tudor opinion of the real Jack Cade that was present as Shakespeare was writing. While Shakespeare seems to base his plays, and his portrayal of Jack Cade, on the history of Holinshed’s Chronicles, there are some first hand accounts of people who witnessed Jack Cade’s procession into London from actual history, as well as some variances between Shakespeare’s quarto and folio versions of Henry VI Part 2 which shine light on exactly what Shakespeare thought about his colorful figure from English history. 

London Stone that Jack Cade chooses to strike as he declares himself Lord of the city was more than just a passing fictional narrative by Shakespeare. The real London Stone was a major landmark for England, with native travellers using it in a similar fashion to how Big Ben is used today--people all over the world not only recognized this stop in London as a representative of England herself, but many foreign dignitaries from the 16th century went out of their way to visit London Stone as an important stop on their visit to the city.

Here today to walk us through some of the portraits of Jack Cade from Shakespeare’s lifetime as well as additional items from the Medieval Collections at the Museum of London to tell us the real story of London Stone and its place in the popular culture from Shakespeare’s lifetime is our guest, John Clark

When William Shakespeare died, he left on his gravestone a formidable curse, warning anyone who dared steal his bones after death. You can see this curse today on his gravestone inside Holy Trinity Church and it reads

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebear

To dig the dust enclosed here

Blessed be the man who spares these stones

And cursed be he that moves my bones.Sinister, and comical today when grave robbing seems like a far fetched idea, for the 17th century when Shakespeare was buried, stealing someone's bones comes up alot! But how effective were these curses at deterring the theft of the graves? To explore the history of grave robbing,the rumors that someone could have stolen Shakespeare's skull, as well as to explain the tradition of gravestone curses in Elizabethan England, we turn to Shakespeare expert and professor of English at the University of Exeter, Philip Schwyzer.

When William Shakespeare died, he left on his gravestone a formidable curse, warning anyone who dared steal his bones after death. You can see this curse today on his gravestone inside Holy Trinity Church and it reads

Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forebear

To dig the dust enclosed here

Blessed be the man who spares these stones

And cursed be he that moves my bones.

Sinister, and comical today when grave robbing seems like a far fetched idea, for the 17th century when Shakespeare was buried, stealing someone’s bones comes up alot! But how effective were these curses at deterring the theft of the graves? To explore the history of grave robbing,the rumors that someone could have stolen Shakespeare’s skull, as well as to explain the tradition of gravestone curses in Elizabethan England, we turn to Shakespeare expert and professor of English at the University of Exeter, Philip Schwyzer.

The English playwright Thomas Kyd is one of Shakespeare's contemporaries who arguably has as much, if not more, influence on the development of Renaissance theater than even the bard himself. Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy is thought to have introduced to 16th century English theater a tragic format Shakespeare would later apply in his famous tragedy, Hamlet. Little is known about the life of Thomas Kyd, but what we do know is astonishing. He was a roommate with Christopher Marlowe, suspected of treason, accused of being an atheist, and had the entire memory of his life rest on a single letter he wrote to decry claims against him. He died in December of 1594, leaving a powerful mark on the theater industry and establishing himself a permanent place in the life of William Shakespeare.

Here this week to introduce us to Thomas Kyd and the history we have about his life as a fellow playwright alongside William Shakespeare in turn of the 17th century England is our returning guest and respected friend, Darren Freebury Jones.