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The Festive Season in Early Modern England
Christmas in Shakespeare’s day was an extravagant festival that included a long season of merrymaking, feasting and, most important of all, masques and plays.
Shakespeare’s Christmas is a delightful glimpse into an Elizabethan Christmas, comprising little-known stories – such as the time Elizabeth I interrupted Shakespeare’s performance by walking across the stage and dropping a glove at his feet – recipes of traditional Elizabethan desserts, ballads and poems.
A must-read if you are interested in the ignoble goings-on of the Lord of Misrule and a chance to immerse yourself in the celebrations of a Shakespearean Christmas.
22nd November, 2021 in History, Society & Culture
It’s a common misconception that our modern view of Christmas and how to celebrate it in the UK originated only in the nineteenth century. But although Queen Victoria and Prince Albert did much to promote various seasonal customs – for which I, for one, am grateful! – many of tho…
15th December, 2016 in Society & Culture, Trivia & Gift
Christmas pudding as we know it first appeared in the reign of King George III. It was said to have been invented especially for him by his chef, because of his inordinate love of English puddings. Before this, the pudding was more of a pottage or porridge, with all the right ing…
22nd April, 2016 in History
Dogs have long been used as metaphors to describe determination and loyalty, as well as tenacity. William Shakespeare too uses these descriptions, but also describes dogs in relation to their role in war and fighting, and his writings have formed a key part of our study of the En…
20th April, 2016 in Archaeology, History
In 2012, the remains of London’s second purpose-built playhouse, the Curtain Theatre, were unearthed in Shoreditch, London by experts from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) during exploratory digs. History of the Curtain Theatre The Curtain Theatre was used as a playhouse from…
