The Hatch and Brood of Time is a column on the place of William Shakespeare in history, his works, and their interpretations. Along with providing insight into the cultures of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, Shakespeare’s works have inspired innovation over centuries and fields, from the shaping of modern cryptography to the naming of Uranus’s moons. The Hatch and Brood of Time examines how Shakespeare has influenced and reflected history, revealing his multifaceted impact on the present day.
Volume 20: February 22, 2021 The Macbeth Riot By London Johns On May 10, 1849, William Macready was arranged to star in a production of Macbeth in the New York Astor Place Opera House. It was a much-anticipated performance, both by Macready’s supporters and his critics, and that evening...
Volume 16: January 26, 2021 The Second-Best Bed By London Johns In the winter of 1616, William Shakespeare, who had retired to live with his family in Stratford-upon-Avon, drafted his will. In March, he revised the document; from the shakiness of his signature, it appears that he was already very...
Volume 15: January 20, 2021 Macbeth, King Lear, and the Gunpowder Plot By London Johns In the fall of 1605, William Parker, a member of the House of Lords, received an anonymous letter instructing him to refrain from attending Parliament the next day. “God and man hath concurred to punishe...
Volume 14: January 11, 2021 William Henry Ireland's Forgeries By London Johns In 1796, a newly-discovered Shakespeare play, Vortigern and Rowena, appeared onstage in London. At first, the audience watched quietly, expecting a play to rival King Lear or Hamlet. But by the final act, they had erupted...
Volume 21: March 3, 2021 Exit, Pursued by a Bear By London Johns In the third act of The Winter’s Tale, Antigonus abandons baby Perdita in the wilderness, then promptly flees the stage, “pursued by a bear” (III.iii.64). This enigmatic phrase has become one of the most...
Volume 13: January 4, 2021 Inviting the Devil to the Stage By London Johns In Act III Scene 3 of The Tempest, Ariel appears like a harpy, clasps a banquet table with his wings, and vanishes it, accompanied by thunder and lightning. How was it possible for actors to perform...
