{"id":12825,"date":"2019-10-18T19:23:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T18:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.brandingbay.com\/ARL\/?page_id=12825"},"modified":"2021-04-09T08:03:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T07:03:28","slug":"the-works-of-william-shakespeare","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/demo.brandingbay.com\/ARL\/collections\/past-exhibitions-and-displays\/the-works-of-william-shakespeare\/","title":{"rendered":"The Works of William Shakespeare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This exhibition marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and 154 sonnets, as well as other poems. Most of his works were written between 1589 and 1613.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Library holds copies of many works by and on Shakespeare. This exhibit shows some of the highlights.
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TITLE<\/strong>\nMr. William Shakespear\u2019s [sic] Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, seven plays, never before printed in folio: viz. Pericles Prince of Tyre. The London Prodigal. The History of Thomas Lord Cromwel. Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham. The Puritan Widow. A Yorkshire Tragedy. The Tragedy of Locrine\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nWilliam Shakespeare\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\nH. Herringman, E. Brewster, R. Chiswell, R. Bentley\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1685 \nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001392685<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Shakespeare\u2019s plays appeared in four folio editions in the seventeenth century, in 1623, 1632, 1664 and, as shown here, in 1685. This fourth folio contains 43 plays, including 7 which were attributed to Shakespeare, but whose authorship was later disputed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The large volume is a prestigious work as this format of printing was reserved for important volumes of well-known authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This fourth folio served as the basis for eighteenth century editions of Shakespeare\u2019s plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nThe Works of Mr William Shakespeare. Volume the Fifth. Consisting of the Tragedies : The Tragedy of Macbeth\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nWilliam Shakespeare\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nOxford\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1744\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001472107<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Shakespeare\u2019s tragedy Macbeth<\/em>, or \u2018The Scottish Play\u2019 is believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tragedy tells the story of the great Scottish warrior Macbeth. He receives a prophecy from three witches saying that he will become the king of Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After this he becomes consumed by ambition and kills the reigning king, taking the throne for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The title page for this play depicts Act V, Scene I. Lady Macbeth is seen sleepwalking and rubbing her hands as if to rub off the blood of the people whom she and Macbeth have killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\n An Enquiry into the Learning of Shakespeare with Remarks on Several Passages of his Plays. In a Conversation between Eugenius and Neander\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nPeter Whalley\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1748\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001384364<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Peter Whalley was an English clergyman, academic and writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1748 he published his Enquiry into the Learning of Shakespeare<\/em>, in which he discusses Shakespeare\u2019s classical education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whalley thought that Shakespeare was far more learned than many critics had previously believed. He compares fragments written by Shakespeare with fragments from classical works, and claims that Shakespeare must have known Latin, Greek and Danish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whalley uses a fictitious conversation between two people to give both sides of the argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nAn Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear [sic], Compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets. With Some Remarks Upon the Misrepresentations of Mons. de Voltaire\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nElizabeth Montagu\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1772\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001374555<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In the mid-eighteenth century the Bluestocking Society, a group of educated, intellectual women who met at literary salons, was established. The group was led by hostess and literary critic Elizabeth Montagu, cousin of Armagh Public Library\u2019s founder Archbishop Richard Robinson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Montagu\u2019s Essay on Writings and Genius of Shakespeare<\/em> was originally published anonymously. Her name did not appear on the text until the fourth edition in 1777.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this work Montagu criticises the insults aimed at Shakespeare by the French writer Voltaire. Montagu considers Shakespeare to be the best dramatist of all English, Greek and French poets, and a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nShakespeare Restored: Or, A Specimen of the Many Errors, As Well Committed, As Unamended, by Mr. Pope in his Late Edition of this Poet. Designed Not only to correct the said Edition, but to restore the True Reading of Shakespeare in all\nthe Editions ever yet publish\u2019d.\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nLewis Theobald\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1726\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001472077<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Lewis Theobald was a textual editor and author. He was a landmark figure in the editing of Shakespeare and in literary satire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This volume is a reaction to Alexander Pope\u2019s edition of Shakespeare and is one of Theobald\u2019s best known works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theobald claimed that Pope had been both too reverent and insufficiently critical to have done Shakespeare justice, and had missed many textual errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, when Pope published his second edition of Shakespeare, he adopted many of Theobald\u2019s corrections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two would continue to have a sour relationship: in the satirical poem The Dunciad (1727), Pope took literary vengeance on Theobald, by using him as the son of the Goddess of Dulness, re-spelled Tibbald, crowning him \u2018King of Dunces\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nThe Cave of Poverty: Written in Imitation of Shakespeare\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nLewis Theobald\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1715\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP00137597<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Another example of Lewis Theobald\u2019s appreciation of Shakespeare is in his imitation of Shakespeare\u2019s style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This text is an extended allegory of 121 stanzas and is divided into two parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first section we are introduced to the personification of Poverty who, in a cave full of pictures of human worries, harasses mankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second section describes Poverty in her cave listening to two voices, one praising wealth and the other praising poverty. This pleases Poverty as it shows the extent of her powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theobald himself comments on his imitation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[…] my imitation is very superficial; extending only to the borrowing some of his Words, without being able to follow him in the Position of them, his Style or his Elegance.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nAn Index to the Remarkable Passages and Words; Made Use of by Shakspeare [sic]\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nSamuel Ayscough.\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nDublin\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\nWilliam Jones\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1791\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP002465082<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Samuel Ayscough was a librarian and indexer, known as \u2018The Prince of Indexers\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1782 he published a catalogue of the then unidentified manuscripts in the British Museum as a private venture. In 1785 he was appointed Assistant Librarian at the Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1791 he published an index to the works of Shakespeare to indicate what they were about, to summarise their content and to improve findability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indexing passages and words from the works of Shakespeare was a monumental task. The 669 page-long index is a credit to Ayscough\u2019s skill in and dedication to indexing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nShakespeare\u2019s Sonnets Reconsidered, and in Part Rearranged with Introductory Chapters, Notes, and a Reprint of the Original 1609 Edition\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nSamuel Butler\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1899\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001155918<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Samuel Butler was an English author and translator, known for Erewhon<\/em> and The Way of All Flesh<\/em>, semi-autobiographical novels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Butler held Shakespeare in high regard and had supposedly learned all 154 of Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets by heart. He set out to arrange the sonnets and to give them an original order. Butler supported the theory that the sonnets were letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Butler\u2019s words,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sonnets are a series of unguarded letters in verse, written as the spirit moved a young poet who has just discovered his own gift […] Such letters inevitably record varying phases of the writer\u2019s mind<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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TITLE<\/strong>\nBacon Is Shake-Speare [sic]\nAUTHOR<\/strong>\nSir Edwin Durning\u2013Lawrence\nPLACE OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\nLondon\nPUBLISHER<\/strong>\n[s.n.]\nYEAR OF PUBLICATION<\/strong>\n1910\nOBJECT ID<\/strong>\nP001006726<\/p><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence was a British lawyer and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his support of the Baconian theory of Shakespeare\u2019s authorship, that is, that Francis Bacon wrote the works attributed to Shakespeare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shakespeare\u2019s authorship was first questioned in the nineteenth century. It was suggested that, among others, Sir Frances Bacon, Christopher Marlowe or Edward de Vere were the true authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this work, Durning-Lawrence compiles evidence in support of Sir Francis Bacon as the true author. He published a number of books on this subject and promoted public debates within the academic community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Explore our collections<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Visit our other exhibitions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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