A “page-turningly entertaining” history of scandals and skulduggery onstage and off (William Lyons, historical adviser for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre).
Filled with fact, folklore, and stories of revenge, murder, affairs, and persecution, Shakespeare’s Ear shows that in the world of theater, the drama can be just as intense behind the scenes. Learn about:
An ancient Greek writer of tragedies who dies when an eagle drops a tortoise on his headA sixteenth-century English playwright who lives a double life as a spy and perishes horriblyA small Parisian theater where grisly horrors unfold on stageThe gold earring that Shakespeare wears in the Chandos portrait, and its connections to bohemians and pirates of the time
Journey back to see theatrical shenanigans from the ancient Near East, explore the violent plays of ancient Greece and Rome, revel in the Elizabethan and Jacobean golden age of bloodthirsty drama, delight in the zany and subversive antics of the Commedia dell’arte, and tremble at ghostly incursions into playhouses. Here you will find many fine examples of playwrights, actors, and audiences alike being horrible to each other over the centuries.
