Shakespeare inhabited a literary culture in which imitation was applauded. This erudite study teases out his alchemical transformations of what he had read or seenFor a long time, the sedulo…
It's full of errors, has scribbles in the margins and isn't even complete. But imagine a world without Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar or Macbeth and you'll understand why a copy of the First F…
From The Spanish Tragedy to The Habit of ArtThe Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd Hieronimo exacts revenge on those who have murdered his son Horatio by staging a play and casting the two murder…
From Shakespeare's Rosalind to Sarah Waters's Nan Astley, here are 10 literary examples of 'manning up'. Got any more?Orlando Furioso by AriostoBradamante covers herself with armour and figh…
Appropriate deaths - what have we missed?BarabasIn Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, the murderously ingenious Barabas has prepared a booby-trap for Calymath, but Ferneze finds out abo…
HamletsTom Jones by Henry FieldingTom arrives in London and goes with his witless companion Partridge to see Garrick play Hamlet. Partridge is unimpressed. "'He the best player!' cries Partr…