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William Shakespeare

The Swan Theatre in London, one of the a generation of playhouses that appeared in the 16th century

Guess what? Shakespeare didn’t start the theater scene in England.

Arts

Shakespeare’s London theater was only one of many open at the turn of the 17th century. A new project is aiming to rediscover some of those forgotten masterpieces.

Actors Dominic Rowan (L) and Miranda Raison perform as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in Shakespeare's "Henry VIII" at Shakespeare's Globe in London.

Yes, Shakespeare coined words. But that’s just the start of his contribution to the English language

Arts, Culture & Media
A romantic kiss

Scientists say they’ve found romantic love, in brain scans

Lifestyle & Belief

Did William Shakespeare really invent all those words?

Arts, Culture & Media

Joss Whedon on His New Film ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Iraq’s Sunnis and Shiites Set to a Shakespearean Love Story

What happens if you take one of the greatest love stories of all time, William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, and make a few tweaks? That’s what playwright and actor Monadhil Daood did. He replaced the Montagues with Sunnis, the Capulets with Shiites, and set the play in Iraq. His production of “Romeo and Juliet in […]

The World

Shakespeare by Anonymous

Arts, Culture & Media

The movie Anonymous directed by Roland Emmerich opens this week. Except for the heavy use of computer-generated images, it’s nothing like his previous disasteramas – The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day and 2012.

The World

HURRAY FOR HOLLY WOOD?

William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage” and for Hollywood that can also mean eveything is fair game as props for sets. Watching a film crew prepare a corner near our Cambridge offices for a feature film shoot, Living On Earth producer Daniel Grossman noticed a team with ladders, saws, and a hydraulic […]

The World

Geo Answer: A new setting for The Merry Wives of Windsor

Arts, Culture & Media

For our Geo Quiz, we asked you to name one of the official residences of the British royal family. The answer is Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England. It’s also the setting for Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The World’s Laura Lynch reports.

The World

Geo answer

Arts, Culture & Media

The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is the British overseas territory of Bermuda. 400 years ago this island in the North Atlantic off the east coast of the U.S. was an important way station for ships voyaging to the New World. It was also the scene of an important shipwreck, one that probably inspired Shakespeare to write The Tempest. British writer Simon Winchester sends us an audio postcard from Bermuda.