A lecture series to mark the 90th birthday of Professor Sir Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Photo credit: William Mulryne

What Was Shakespeare Really Like?

A selection of Shakespeare's songs recorded and performed at the RSC - compiled for "Play On!", an online exhibition on Shakespeare and music at www.findingshakespeare.com

Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011. Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Play On! - A Selection of Music from Shakespeare's Plays

60 Minutes with Shakespeare

An SBT Research Conversation with Professor Catherine Richardson and Dr Tara Hamling.

'The Middling Sort'.

An SBT Research Conversation with Professor Ramie Tariff (Brandeis University) and Paul Edmondson.

Shakespeare's Sisters.

An experimental audio artwork in two parts created by artist Dr Rosie Poebright, in response to exploring the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) collections.

Artist Rosie Poebright from Splash & Ripple explored the collections of SBT and uncovered evidence of women living at the same time as Shakespeare wearing men’s clothes. They also discovered the story of Joan Hart, William Shakespeare’s sister, who when William died, was left his clothing in his will.

Inspired by this exploration of the collection, as well as William’s written work, Rosie has created a personal reflection on what they imagined Joan could have done with her brother’s clothes.

It Ever Was Part 2

It Ever Was Part 1

A Research Conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Professor Katherine Scheil (University of Minnesota), Guy Young (University of Birmingham), and Paul Edmondson (The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust).

Mary Baker and the Creation of Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Immerse yourself in a soundscape of Susanna’s world – recordings within Hall’s Croft, its garden and at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage undulate with voices singing the ballads Susanna could have heard in her day-to-day life. A voice, perhaps it is Susanna, reads, thinks and acts on the writing of early modern women, including Amelia Lanyer, Mary Wroth, Dorothy Leigh – and the anonymous ‘receipts’ (recipes) for easing women’s health. A new poem responds to these women’s words.

Free to listen wherever you are, meet early modern women and their world…

This Soundscape is one of the outputs from The Susanna Hall & Hall’s Croft Project - a research and engagement project exploring Susanna Hall and her home, Hall's Croft, led by Dr Ailsa Grant Ferguson (University of Brighton) in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Funded by AHRC (part of UKRI).

Image: https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/museum/strst-sbt-1993-30

Susanna Soundscape

A Research Conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Professor Nandini Das, Exeter College, University of Oxford, and Dr Paul Edmondson, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Early Modern Female Travellers

A Research Conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Professor Lucy Munro (King's College, London) and Dr Paul Edmondson.

Women and Theatre Management.

A Research Conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Dr Varsha Panjwani and Dr Paul Edmondson.

Women Making Shakespeare Today.

A Research Conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Professor Laurie Maguire (Magdalen College, University of Oxford) and Dr Paul Edmondson

On Judith Shakespeare Quiney.

A research conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust with Dr Sophie Duncan, Magdalen College, University of Oxford, and Dr Paul Edmondson.

Searching for Juliet

A research conversation of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust withe Dame Judi Dench in conversation with Brendan O'Hea. Presented by Dr Paul Edmondson

Dame Judi Dench in conversation.

Track for Islam Issa's Shakespeare Connected Exhibition.

"Ceramica Cleopatra" ~ Shakespeare Connected ~ Ageless Cleopatra

We asked Sylvia Morris: How would Shakespeare have had access to books growing up in Stratford-upon-Avon?

1. Shakespeare's Childhood Books

We asked Lois Potter: Did Shakespeare attend the King Edward VI grammar school in Stratford-upon-Avon?

2. Shakespeare's School

We asked Carol Rutter: Is there anything in the works which require their author to have been educated at a university?

3. Shakespeare's Education Level

We asked Perry Mills: Do the plays reflect the education that boys in the Stratford grammar school received?

4. Shakespeare's Learning and Plays

We asked Elizabeth Woledge: are charges of illiteracy against members of Shakespeare's family relevant to his own identification as a writer?

5. The Shakespeare Family's Literacy

We asked Rene Weis: What was Shakespeare's social status?

20. Shakespeare's Social Status

We asked Greg Doran: What do we learn about Shakespeare from Ben Jonson?

38. Ben Jonson and Shakespeare

We asked Stuart Hampton-Reeves: What reasons do people give for questioning Shakespeare's authorship of the plays?

40. Questioning Shakespeare's Authorship

We asked the Prince of Wales: What were Shakespeare's links to the royalty of his day?

Special: Shakespeare's Royal Links

Introduced by Professor Russell Jackson, University of Birmingham.

The first of four specially commissioned lectures where Professor Sir Stanley Wells C.B.E discusses 'What Was Shakespeare Really Like'.

Brought to you by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

What manner of man was Shakespeare?

Introduced by Gregory Doran, Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company.

The second of four specially commissioned lectures where Professor Sir Stanley Wells C.B.E discusses 'What Was Shakespeare Really Like'.

Brought to you by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

How Did Shakespeare Write a Play

Introduced by Professor Lena Orlin, Georgetown University, and Trustee of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

The third of four specially commissioned lectures where Professor Sir Stanley Wells C.B.E discusses 'What Was Shakespeare Really Like'.

Brought to you by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

What do the Sonnets tell us about Shakespeare?

Introduced by Professor Michael Dobson, Director of The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham.

The last of four specially commissioned lectures where Professor Sir Stanley Wells C.B.E discusses 'What Was Shakespeare Really Like'.

Brought to you by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

What Made Shakespeare Laugh?

This song is sung by Amiens the musician in As You Like It. It reflects on the unkindness of human nature.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

This song is sung by Feste the jester in Twelfth Night. Feste is ordered to sing this "old and antique song" by the lovesick Duke Orsino, in the hope that it will "relieve his passion" for Olivia.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Come Away Death

This song is sung by Ariel the magical spirit in The Tempest. Ariel sings to confuse the shipwrecked Ferdinand and lure him away from the shore of Prosepero's island.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Come Unto These Yellow Sands

This song is sung by Ariel the magical spirit in The Tempest. Ariel sings this to confuse Ferdinand and trick him into believing that his father is dead.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Full Fathom Five

This is an excerpt from A Midsummer Night's Dream which is sometimes set to music. Titania, Oberon and their fairy followers sing and dance at the end of the play, blessing the married couples.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © Paul Englishby.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Glimmering Light

This song is sung by Feste the jester in Twelfth Night. Feste sings this as a mocking farewell to Malvolio who is imprisoned as his is mistakenly believed to be mad.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © Sianed Jones.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I Am Gone, Sir

This song is sung by Balthasar the courtier in Much Ado About Nothing. It warns women not to take men too seriously, as they have a tendency to be unfaithful.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Sigh No More, Ladies, Sigh No More

This song is sung by Feste the jester in Twelfth Night, at the very end of the play. It reflects on the fact that although life can be hard at every stage, a play can always provide comfort.

From the album "Music for the RSC: John Woolf and Friends".
Music © John Woolf and Sianed Jones.
Recording © Royal Shakespeare Company 2011.
Reproduced courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Wind and the Rain

This song is sung by Ariel the magical spirit in The Tempest. Ariel sings to confuse the shipwrecked Ferdinand and lure him away from the shore of Prosepero's island

From the album "The Songs of Ariel".
Music © Guy Woolfenden.
Recording © Ariel Music 1978 (Remastered by Bob Burnell 2011).
Reproduced courtesy of Ariel Music.

This song is sung by Ariel the magical spirit in The Tempest. Ariel sings this about himself, describing his activities in the natural world.

From the album "The Songs of Ariel".
Music © Guy Woolfenden.
Recording © Ariel Music 1978 (Remastered by Bob Burnell 2011).
Reproduced courtesy of Ariel Music.

Where the bee sucks

How can we look afresh at Shakespeare as a writer of sonnets? What new light might they shed on his career, personality, and sexuality? Shakespeare wrote sonnets for at least thirty years, not only for himself, for professional reasons, and for those whom he loved, but also in plays, as prologues, as epilogues, and as part of their poetic texture.

Dr Paul Edmondson, head of research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and honorary president, Professor Sir Stanley Wells, talk about their 'groundbreaking' book that assembles all of Shakespeare's sonnets in the probable order in which they were written.

All the Sonnets of Shakespeare - Oct 2020

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Sharing the love of Shakespeare’s works, life & times from his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

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