Shakespeare Today: Exploring Shakespeare's Cultural Legacy 

This lecture was written to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016, but I have continued to update it. I discuss the impact that Shakespeare has on our daily lives. The English language was greatly enriched by Shakespeare: he invented 1,700 words. I talk about how Hamlet has affected our culture. How Othello changed world history and even helped put Obama in the White House. This is a fascinating topic that will really make you appreciate why the Bard is still so treasured. In August 2022, I was invited to give this talk for the National Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama at their annual conference in Stratford-upon-Avon.

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Shakespeare at the Colosseum

Looking at set and designer choices. I consider Antony Cleopatra (Directed by Trevor Nunn, 1984); Julius Caesar (Director Joseph Mankiewicz, 1953, with Marlon Brando as Marc Antony) and Coriolanus on Film (Directed by Ralph Fiennes, 2010). Film clips are included. 

 

Shakespeare and the Curse of Macbeth 

I look at Shakespeare's use of the curse, how the play became so cursed that even the name of the play cannot be uttered in a theatre. I look at the apparently cursed stage history of the play.

 

Shakespeare: The Man from Stratford-upon-Avon - The Authorship Controversy

I am always asked to address this issue, so in this talk, I look at how this phenomenon started and why this has become such an important question. I offer my own views, supported by recent scholarship, to prove that William Shakespeare, the man from Stratford-upon-Avon, is the man who wrote the most celebrated plays in the Western Canon.  After hearing this talk, you will be able to answer this perennial question once and for all.

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Shakespeare’s Classical Education

The (Latin) Grammar Schools of the Tudor period provided young schoolboys, Shakespeare included, with a Classical Education so advanced that today, a Classics graduate has a comparable education to a Tudor school child. I look at how Latin authors inspired and informed Shakespeare.

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Shakespeare and Ovid  

A consideration of Shakespeare’s use of Classical Texts, especially Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Ovid was the single greatest influence on Shakespeare. For everything was in "ceaseless flow." Shakespeare takes this idea and conjures up amazing characters, many of whom are in the process of metamorphosis. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Venus and Adonis and Romeo and Juliet feature in this talk.

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Shakespeare and Rome on Stage 

Shakespeare's Roman plays, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus at the Royal Shakespeare Company - a consideration of productions using rare production images and assessing critical responses. I worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company for some years and therefore have some insider knowledge.

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Shakespeare and Renaissance Italy 

Around 1300, there was a revival in Italy of ancient classical influences. Italy became, for Shakespeare, not only the setting for many of his plays but also the place that most inspired his imagination. From Dante to Petrarch to Machiavelli, Renaissance values fuelled Shakespeare, with over 800 references to Italy in his plays. This talk discovers the links and explains why Italy was so important to him. 

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Shakespeare and Composers 

I consider Henry V, Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story.  I look at composer choices and how their interpretations shape the way we perceive these quintessential works. The music of William Walton, Benjamin Britten, Patrick Doyle and Nina Rota features. This is ideal for music groups and societies who wish to appreciate longer musical extracts.