Shakespeare’s London

In this lecture, Andrew Hadfield will explore Shakespeare and his relationship to London, where he lived for at least part of the time for some twenty years. How did the expanding English capital influence his writing? Unlike many of his contemporaries, Shakespeare never actually wrote about contemporary England, but London had a major impact on his plays and the ways in which they represent urban space, political culture, the monarchy and the country. The lecture will highlight a range of Shakespeare’s works, including the Roman plays (which compare London and Rome), the problem comedies and the pastoral comedies.