A new book on Shakespeare’s London co-authored by Dr Sarah Dustagheer will be launched at Waterstones, Piccadilly Circus, on 23 April.
The event, which starts at 7pm, is free and open to all (please RSVP by emailing piccadilly@waterstones.com).
Published in February, Shakespeare in London (The Arden Shakespeare) offers a lively and engaging new reading of some of Shakespeare’s major work, informed by close attention to the language of his drama. The focus of the book is on Shakespeare’s London, how it influenced his drama and how he represents it on stage. The book moves both chronologically, from beginning to end of Shakespeare’s dramatic career, and also geographically, traversing London from west to east.
Each chapter focuses on one play and one key location, drawing out the thematic connections between that place and the drama it underwrites. Plays discussed in detail include Hamlet, Richard II, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet. Close textual readings accompany the wealth of contextual material, providing a fresh and exciting way into Shakespeare’s work.
It is widely accepted that 23 April is the most likely date of Shakespeare’s birth as documents show that he was baptised on 26 April 1564, a ceremony which, in accordance with tradition at that time, would have taken place three days after he was born.
Shakespeare in London was co-authored by: Sarah Dustagheer, Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at Kent’s School of English; Hannah Crawforth, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies, King’s College London; and Jennifer Young, Teaching Fellow in English Literature (1590–1700), University of Leeds.