Today marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the world is coming together to honour and celebrate that man that brought us such wonderful plays like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and beautiful sonnets and phrases we still use today. While I’ve been posting all April about all things Shakespeare, this is the actual day that marks the momentous occasion, even the Google Doodle is getting involved. It’s been 400 years since Shakespeare died somewhat unexpectedly (no one is sure what he died from) and judging by the effort and the scale in which people are honouring the playwright it’s incredible that he is as important today as he was in his own day.
The best place to see all the Shakespeare action is to follow the #Shakespeare400 tag on Twitter and Facebook. There is a myriad of posts from people offering up fun facts, trivia, quizzes and hosting other fun events. I know Bell Shakespeare here in Australia has a scavenger hunt going to find copies of Othello hidden around various cities and the bookstore Dymocks in Sydney have a whole afternoon of Shakespeare activities planned. Over in Britain the BBC have a range of live broadcasts planned as well when they tick over to the 23rd in a few hours. You don’t even need to do anything grand, go on Facebook and share your favourite quote, favourite movie, rewatch Romeo+Juliet, undoubtedly one of the greatest Shakespeare movies ever made. Even if you just want to share in the comments your favourite play/adaptation/quote, feel free!
I’ve included a selection of links below to get you into the Shakespearean mood and I will be posting on Facebook and Twitter (and Instagram if I can) a bunch of things to help keep the celebrations going strong. Or have a look at past Shakespeare posts from this month and see what fun things I’ve included and links I’ve suggested. It’s important to remember Shakespeare isn’t all stuffy boring plays; he’s so ingrained in history and our society there’s a myriad of ways to enjoy his work.
Good Tickle Brains makes Shakespeare fun
A few wonderful things I will suggest to start off your Shakespeare experience are from Good Tickle Brain, an amazing website where the delightful Mya creates cartoons and funny Shakespeare-themed things. She has recently created a useful flowchart to help you decided which Shakespeare play you should go and see, as well as an awesome Shakespeare Game of Life.
Other things I suggest if you’re in the USA is high tail it over to New York and book a seat to see the hilarious Something Rotten play because while I’ve only heard the soundtrack (on repeat all day every day), I assure you it is amazing.
If reading is more your thing (and why wouldn’t it be) grab a copy of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series for some great Shakespeare moments. The best one is Something Rotten which is filled with all sorts of great and hilarious things about Shakespeare and a very dramatic Hamlet. Or, if fun insults are more your thing, check out this chart of great Shakespearean insults.
As the day goes on and as other countries move into 23rd April there will no doubt be more exciting things revealed but for now take a look at what’s already around and who knows, you may discover something interesting!
Links and Bits
Charlee was angry . . . 
This one is the biggie. The classic Shakespeare film that won all the awards and everyone loved. The British-American romantic comedy-drama was released in 1998 and centres around the fictitious love affair between Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), with many characters based on real historical figures. Set in 1593 it shows Shakespeare writing his classic Romeo and Juliet and there are many references to his other works as well. It remains a popular movie with a 93% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, and at the time won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Some big names starred in at as well including Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, and Geoffrey Rush. While not that historically accurate it is an interesting and enjoyable film, it was one of my earliest exposures to Shakespeare as a kid and I loved it.
Starring Rhys Ifans as Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, this political thriller and historical drama looks at whether de Vere could be the real author of the Shakespeare plays. I am going to talk more about the authorship debate in a later post so I won’t go into it too much here, but it is a curious claim people have made. De Vere is depicted as a literary prodigy and Elizabeth I’s occasional lover, and many of the events are highly dramatised. Where Shakespeare comes into play is that De Vere uses him as a frontman to have his plays and poems performed. For all the controversy and conspiracy theories, I actually liked this film. It was a compelling case but one deeply flawed and one that did not sway my opinion. So much of the argument is based on ignoring key facts, but despite that, it was interesting.
As a lover of the TV series Horrible Histories I was excited to hear the principal performers from it were making a movie about Shakespeare. This adventure-comedy film is a fictitious version of a young Shakespeare’s search for fame and fortune and tries to explain what happened during Shakespeare’s lost years. When Queen Elizabeth I wants a play written Shakespeare sees his chance, and with an evil plot to foil as well there is plenty of excitement and humour on offer. The six lead actors play multiple roles, just like on Horrible Histories, and while unfortunately there are no musical numbers to enjoy, the laughter and cheekiness is prevalent. Mathew Baynton stars as Shakespeare, with Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rockard, and Ben Willbond alongside him.
