Shakespeare in the Time of Plague

Name: Shakespeare in the Time of Plague
SKU: 12845
Price: 135.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

Home » Drama»Shakespeare in the Time of Plague

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Production Description

Shakespeare left no diaries, packet of letters or personal library behind that could provide insight into his thinking about his work, life, or times. Much of what little is known about him, has come from scholarly research into public records and obscure sources.

We do know that he lived through a dreadful and prolonged period of plague in England, especially between 1603-1609. During this period the Globe was largely closed. His company had a royal patent and performed for the public at the Globe theater when they could, and also at traveling venues; and, importantly, for the Sovereign at court. This play about that period is “historical fiction” (which is perhaps an oxymoron).

What is historical in this play is the context: the harshness of the plague, the quarantine in London, the closure of public venues (including the London theaters), the great loss of life, the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the succession of James I, and the Gunpowder revolt. Where Shakespeare’s lines are used for Hamlet and Lear they are taken from early surviving Quartos (Hamlet 1603, Lear 1608); the play also offers a glimpse into the relationship between playwrights and performers. It likewise throws a spotlight on the relationship of a playwright to a powerful patron.

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