Haggis, neeps and soliloquys: the bonds that tie Robert Burns and Shakespeare

In anticipation of our upcoming Burns Night Supper on January 25, we share an article from 2016, reprinted with permission from “The Conversation” written by Gerard Carruthers,the Francis Hutcheson Professor of Scottish Literature, University of Glasgow. Bard blood. Wikimedia Gerard Carruthers, University of Glasgow January 25, 2016 1.19am EST While Robert Burns…

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The Near-Death Experiences of Two Literary Legends

To be or not to be … tilting at the windmills of death within a day of each other. Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) and playwright/poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) died on April 22 and April 23, respectively, with Cervantes being buried on April 23. But Shakespeare actually passed away…

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Titus Andronicus: Breaking it Down

by NapaShakes Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly A WAR: Titus Andronicus begins with the death of the emperor of Rome, right at the same time that Titus, Rome’s warrior, arrives home from a successful battle against the Goths. Titus brings with him as prisoners Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, and her three…

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Measure for Measure + Dido and Aeneas: A Shakespeare-opera mash-up from 1699 takes the stage

September 27, 2016 | By Shakespeare & Beyond Sometimes characterized as a “problem play,” Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure was first performed in the early 1600’s and was printed in the 1623 First Folio where it is listed as a comedy. During the Restoration, many of Shakespeare’s plays were adapted to suit the times, and Measure is no exception. Playwrights deleted problematic characters, moral…

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